Ohio Poll Has Strickland at Historic Approval Rating

The University of Cincinnati released the first Ohio poll done since Ted Strickland took office in January. Strickland got a record 68% approval rating from those surveyed. This is a quote from the release put out by the University on the poll results:

Strickland’s approval rating is the highest initial gubernatorial approval rating recorded by the Ohio Poll in its 26-year history. Former Governor Richard Celeste’s first approval rating, in Spring 1983, was 32 percent. Former Governor George Voinovich received a 61 percent approval rating at the beginning of his first-term in 1991. Most recently, former Governor Bob Taft received a 49 percent approval rating in Spring 1999.

Strickland got high approval ratings from Democrats (75%) and Republicans (64%). The Poll showed that a majority of those surveyed also approved of the job that the Ohio General Assembly was doing, with 59% approving and 29% disapproving. Like Strickland, the Ohio General Assembly got a majority approval ratings from both Democrats (59%) and Republicans (63%).

The Poll also asked about what issues those surveyed thought were important and should be addressed by Ohio's state government. Ohioans thought that it was "very important" that Ohio address the following:

“Improving Ohio’s economy” (61%);
“Improving the job situation in Ohio” (58%);
“Reducing the cost of health care in Ohio” (57%);
“Reducing the number of Ohio children without health insurance” (55%);
“Improving the quality of K through 12 public education in Ohio” (54%);
“Reducing crime in Ohio” (53%); and
"Improving Ohio’s system of financing K through 12 public education” (51%).

Note that those issues really favor Strickland and the Democrats since, for the most part, they are the issues that Ted Strickland and Lee Fisher stressed in last year's campaign. Interestingly regulating strip clubs isn't on the above list.

You can read the whole poll results by clicking here and following the directions.

This entry cross-posted at www.medinacountycommonsense.com.