Blue-state Republicans slump without Trump as foil

[DonViejo]

Some of the nation’s most popular governors have been knocked off their pedestals.

By STEPHANIE MURRAY

03/24/2021 04:30 AM EDT

BOSTON — As recently as October, Massachusetts Republican Gov. Charlie Baker was basking in his typically stratospheric poll ratings. More than 70 percent approved of his job performance. Roughly the same amount felt the same way about his handling of the Covid-19 crisis.

Those were the days.

Since then, Baker’s numbers have nosedived, knocking him off his pedestal as arguably the nation’s most popular governor. His coronavirus approval ratings have dropped from a high of 80 percent last April to 59 percent in February, according to the Covid States Project, which has been tracking gubernatorial approval ratings for the past year. His overall job performance ratings have also declined — from 78 percent in August to 52 percent at the end of February, according to a recent UMass Amherst poll.

In part, Baker’s downward slide can be attributed to his state's troubled vaccine rollout, which got off to a slow start and was marked by a very public website crash for the vaccine appointment booking system. Yet there are also signs another factor may be contributing to his decline: Donald Trump’s departure from the White House.

more
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/24/trump-gop-governors-baker-hogan-scott-477718