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There was a point in time where Rick Snyder had the shot to be considered a likable Governor. He was a self-proclaimed moderate businessman who was taking over the state of Michigan, a state that was suffering.
But as Snyder signed the bill turning Michigan into a right-to-work state, his approval ratings have been in freefall mode since and as a new poll from Public Policy Polling indicates, that freefall continues.
Snyder is currently at a very low rating of 37%, which is a mark that is one percentage point lower than Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett. PPP polled three Democratic candidates and Snyder is behind all three of them.
- Against Rep. Gary Peters, Snyder trails 37-44.
- In a rematch against 2010 nominee Virg Bernero, Snyder trails 38-43.
- Former Rep. Mark Schauer would edge out Snyder by a 36-40 margin.
So all in all, not so great news for the first-term Governor who was elected in 2010. But there does appear to be a silver lining for Snyder, if you can call it that, as his move to appoint an “emergency manager” of the city of Detroit has a 57% approval vs. 30% disapproval rating. Snyder is also far more popular than the state Republican legislature who turn in a 27/56 favorable vs. unfavorable rating.
As the Democrats eventually coalesce around an announced candidate, the race will obviously become a lot clearer. With the continued speculation over longtime Sen. Carl Levin’s future plans, the Democratic bench in Michigan is likely biding their time before making any future electoral decisions.
But like David Nir at DailyKos Elections states, as unpopular as right-to-work is, Democrats will need to fire up the state in some other way to make sure they can take the Governor’s mansion and the State House and Senate.
