The results of the latest Winthrop Poll are out and they show that respondents are split almost down the middle in their opinion on how Governor Nikki Haley is handing her job as the state’s chief executive.
Gov. Nikki Haley's approval and disapproval ratings are almost exactly the same (File)
37 percent of all respondents say they approve of the governor’s work performance, while 36.5 percent disapprove of the job she’s doing. Poll Director and Winthrop Political Science professor Dr. Scott Huffmon says it’s impossible for Haley to get majority approval when nearly a quarter of the respondents expressed they are not sure about her performance.
Huffmon says opinions about the state legislature’s performance were a couple of percentage points below Haley’s numbers. Among Republicans and independent registered voters that lean Republican, Haley received rousing thumbs up approval rating 59.8 percent.
AUDIO: Huffmon says state citizens split on performance by Haley and General Assembly (:23)
The Governor’s Office downplayed the poll’s results. “Polls go up and down,” spokesman Rob Godfrey wrote in a statement, ”Governor Haley is focused on working hard every day to produce results for the people of South Carolina, and we’re thrilled that our citizens are starting to feel better about our local economy and our state – they deserve to be feeling better because South Carolina is once again on the move.”
Huffmon says poll results indicate that South Carolinians are upbeat about what they perceive to be an uptick in the state’s economy as 59 percent of respondents saying the economic conditions in the state are getting better. 26.6 percent of respondents said it’s getting worse. Huffmon says those South Carolinians polled also expressed renewed optimism for the U.S. economy as 53.7 percent believe the nation’s economic conditions are getting better.
AUDIO: Huffmon: South Carolinians say the economic picture is looking better
The latest Winthrop Poll of 981 adults living in South Carolina was taken between April 15-April 22. Results which use all respondents have a margin of error of plus or minus three percent.
