DOVER — Gov. Jack Markell is one of the most popular governors in the nation, a new survey finds.
The survey, conducted by the polling company Morning Consult, finds 61 percent of Delawareans approve of the job Gov. Markell is doing. Eleven governors ranked higher in their states, topped by Republican Charlie Baker, of Massachusetts.
Twenty-five percent of individuals polled by Morning Consult disapprove of Gov. Markell.
However, the survey was conducted before Gov. Markell announced that he would accept Syrian refugees into the state, a polarizing decision unpopular with many Delaware residents.
Jack Markell
Just three Democratic governors — Earl Ray Tomblin, of West Virginia; Mark Dayton, of Minnesota; and Steve Bullock, of Montana — are more popular.
A total of 568 Delaware citizens were queried between May and November. The poll reports a margin of error of 4.1 percent.
Gov. Markell consistently has done well in Delaware approval polls, reflecting a state with 307,000 registered Democrats versus 181,000 Republicans.
A September 2014 poll from the University of Delaware’s Center for Political Communication found the governor was viewed favorably by 55 percent of
Delawareans and unfavorably by 25 percent.
He won a bruising primary as an underdog in 2008 and was elected with two-thirds of the vote. He then earned 69 percent of the vote in 2012.