Most and least popular governors in America

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 33%
- Disapproval rating: 52%
- Never heard of them: 16%

Gov. Matt Bevin is seeking re-election in November amidst a hailstorm of bad press, including fighting teachers' pensions all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and blocking constituents from his social media accounts. Firing two of Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton's staffers didn't help. Bevin replaced Hampton with a new running mate and said he anticipates a visit from President Donal Trump and Vice President Mike Pence ahead of the Nov. 5 election.

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 33%
- Disapproval rating: 38%
- Never heard of them: 29%

Since Ned Lamont won the November 2018 race, even he admits there is a disconnect over toll revenue and taxes between Lamont and his fellow Democratic legislators in the General Assembly. Since taking office in January, Lamont has signed several bills, including legislation barring transgender and gay “panic” defenses in criminal cases.

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 40%
- Disapproval rating: 50%
- Never heard of them: 10%

Venture capitalist and Gov. Gina Raimondo is Rhode Island's first woman governor. She is a practicing Catholic, and has joined many Democratic lawmakers across the country in protecting abortion rights: she codified Roe v. Wade into Rhode Island law. She hasn't seen majority approval ratings from her constituents for two straight years, according to Morning Consult.

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 40%
- Disapproval rating: 36%
- Never heard of them: 24%

Google Gov. Ralph Northam's name, and you get the word “blackface” in the first page of results. CNN published pictures from Northam's medical school yearbook which portray the governor either in dressed in blackface or in a KKK costume. Northam claims these pictures were from a different time in his life, but the notoriety of his past pushes his popularity rankings down.

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 40%
- Disapproval rating: 29%
- Never heard of them: 31%

Since Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a billionaire businessman, beat then-Gov. Bruce Rauner in the 2018 general election, he has not grown more popular. The passage of his $40 billion budget and $45 billion capital plan signals the 19th year straight of an unbalanced Illinois government, which is expected to lead to additional debt, spending cuts, or higher taxes. Pritzker did approve a $1,600 cost-of-living raise for state workers, a move many saw as a means to secure his base.

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 41%
- Disapproval rating: 44%
- Never heard of them: 15%

Gov. Kate Brown recently used her power to send state police to fine 12 GOP lawmakers who left the capitol before voting on a carbon emissions climate change bill. The Pacific Northwest leader once served in the Oregon Senate and House, and served as Oregon's secretary of state from 2009 until 2015. Brown is the first openly LGBTQ+ governor in the U.S.

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 41%
- Disapproval rating: 33%
- Never heard of them: 27%

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is a former New Mexico House representative and the 32nd governor of New Mexico. In June 2019, she became the first governor to seek monetary recompense for states sheltering foreign-born migrants by filing suit against the Trump administration on behalf of her state in an effort to have asylum-seeking migrants released and humanitarian efforts reimbursed.

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 41%
- Disapproval rating: 29%
- Never heard of them: 30%

Since taking office in January, Gov. Gavin Newsom has referred to California as the “envy of the world." Newsom, who served as San Francisco's mayor from 2004 to 2011, was also California's lieutenant governor from 2011 to 2019, and has been an undeniable Democratic Party force in California for 15 years.

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 42%
- Disapproval rating: 29%
- Never heard of them: 29%

Former state senator Mike Dunleavy, who won the governorship in 2018, is moving a special legislative session outside of the capitol building in Juneau to Wasilla, in order to give lawmakers a fresh set of eyes on an old issue. The issue up for debate is how much to provide residents from the state's oil wealth, a decision lawmakers have struggled to make for five months.

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 43%
- Disapproval rating: 24%
- Never heard of them: 34%

Gov. Steve Sisolak is Nevada's first Democratic leader in 20 years. Reflecting on his first 100 days in Office, he said education funding is still the state's biggest concern. Sisolak has been open in his distaste for a popular voting system, unlike other local leaders who support such a system over the electoral college.

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 43%
- Disapproval rating: 20%
- Never heard of them: 37%

Newly elected Gov. Laura Kelly, who beat Republican Secretary of State Kris Kobach, is enjoying a middling approval rating among her constituents—although her numbers represent an impressive percentage for a Democrat leading a GOP-dominated state. In June, she and Missouri Gov. Mike Parson worked on a bipartisan agreement to effectively end an economic border wall in which each state was providing incentives to employers to come across state lines.

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 44%
- Disapproval rating: 37%
- Never heard of them: 19%

Gov. Kim Reynolds is the first woman to hold the position in Iowa, although she was already a household name after serving as lieutenant governor from 2011 to 2017. Reynolds was rushed to the hospital in early June because of chest pains, but released the next day with no report of heart issues. She was back in the headlines less than two weeks later as news broke that she had inexplicably asked for the resignation of Jerry Foxhoven, director of the Iowa Department of Human Services.

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 44%
- Disapproval rating: 26%
- Never heard of them: 30%

Gov. Mike DeWine retained GOP control of the state's highest office by a narrow margin in Ohio's 2018 gubernatorial race. He's been busy since, attempting to expand broadband internet access across the state while also seeking disaster relief for farmers devastated by extreme rain.

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 44%
- Disapproval rating: 26%
- Never heard of them: 31%

Just six months into Gov. Jared Polis' term in Colorado, conservatives in the state began cirtulating petitions calling for his removal from office. Among reasons cited for his unpopularity are oil and gas regulation reform and his support for the National Popular Vote movement, which would change the electoral voting process for the U.S. president.

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 44%
- Disapproval rating: 24%
- Never heard of them: 32%

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's approval rating has dropped nine points since she took office in January 2019. The former Ingham County prosecutor has most recently made more than 3 million acres of farmland available for solar power, pushed for an infusion of $526 million to the state's K-12 education budget, and—most dramatically—signed a supplemental spending bill in excess of $28 million.

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 44%
- Disapproval rating: 18%
- Never heard of them: 38%

Gov. Mike Parson stepped into office in June of 2018 when former Gov. Eric Greitens resigned in the wake of alleged campaign violations and sexual harassment. While pondering his first year as governor this past month, Parson said it wasn't easy to enter his leadership role so suddenly. Since Parson began serving, Missouri shut down its last abortion clinic.

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 44%
- Disapproval rating: 18%
- Never heard of them: 38%

A Tulsa Beacon column claims Oklahoma's 28th governor is keeping his campaign promises by increasing teacher salaries. In 2019, Stitt used his executive power to stop state agencies from signing on with third-party lobbying firms; however, between January and May of the same year, lobbyists spent $437,500 on everything from gifts to meals for Oklahoma legislators. Also, Oklahoma Corrections Director Joe Allbaugh left his post in early June, effectively leaving Stitt in the position of political authority to deal with the state's troubled prison system.

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 45%
- Disapproval rating: 36%
- Never heard of them: 19%

Stepping in after his infamous predecessor Chris Christie, Gov. Phil Murphy is not faring too badly in New Jersey. Since taking office in 2018, Murphy has found himself fighting with legislators over a $37.8 billion budget for the Garden State, in which he wants to include a millionaire's tax.

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 45%
- Disapproval rating: 24%
- Never heard of them: 32%

The LGBTQ+ flag flew over the Minnesota governor's mansion for the first time under gay rights activist Gov. Tim Walz, who promised to continue the fight against discrimination in Minnesota. Walz broke his campaign promise to remain transparent and share his daily calendar, causing some to question his honesty, according to reporting from the Star Tribune.

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 46%
- Disapproval rating: 26%
- Never heard of them: 27%

Wisconsin's 46th governor, Democrat Tony Evers, has had his power limited by the GOP since he took office. Still, he has vetoed four abortion bills presented by the GOP-controlled legislature since taking office in January 2019. The most recent bill he did sign put a moratorium on tax breaks for businesses leaving Wisconsin.

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 47%
- Disapproval rating: 36%
- Never heard of them: 17%

In his second term as Hawaii's governor, David Ige has had to handle such major incidents as the 2018 smartphone false missile alert and the 2015 state of emergency over homelessness, while simultaneously helping keep Hawaii the healthiest state in the country. The governor most recently allowed decriminalization for tiny quantities of marijuana (to take effect January 2020). He also announced his intent to veto a bill that would seek to transfer the responsibility of collecting taxes from rental companies like Airbnb to the state in order to better track transient vacation units.

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 47%
- Disapproval rating: 32%
- Never heard of them: 21%

Unlike most of his Democratic peers pushing pro-choice legislation across the nation, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards is doing the opposite: he signed a law that prohibits pregnancy termination after a fetal heartbeat is felt about six weeks after conception. His move ignited a response from top Democratic leaders, including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who called the heartbeat bill “heartbreaking.” 

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 47%
- Disapproval rating: 32%
- Never heard of them: 22%

Gov. Jay Inslee is among the host of Democratic candidates running for president. His presidential agenda focuses on combating climate change; two of his major policy proposals include a ban on fracking, the process of extracting oil and gas from shale rock, and a “Freedom From Fossil Fuels Plan” which would require federal agencies to perform climate tests on proposed pipelines.

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 48%
- Disapproval rating: 23%
- Never heard of them: 29%

Georgia's former secretary of state is working to keep his campaign promise to secure more jobs throughout the state; he even traveled to South Korea to seek out businesses. Gov. Brian Kemp had few qualms about making three LGBTQ+ appointments in his administration, saying, “I will always put hard-working Georgians ahead of politics and status quo.”

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 49%
- Disapproval rating: 40%
- Never heard of them: 12%

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is following in his late father Mario Cuomo's footsteps by serving as New York's state leader for two terms since 2011. His charisma may be slipping, however; City & State New York reported that Cuomo's promises to push recreational marijuana in the New York General Assembly and cap charter school costs were empty, making him unpopular in Albany.

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 49%
- Disapproval rating: 32%
- Never heard of them: 19%

South Dakota's first female Gov. Kristi Noem made history in the November 2018 election for more than just her gender. Her defeat over Democratic opponent state Sen. Billie Sutton also made Noem the only South Dakotan to become governor of the state after serving it in Congress. In her acceptance speech, Noem talked about her background growing up on a farm with her four siblings.

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 49%
- Disapproval rating: 28%
- Never heard of them: 23%

Gov. Roy Cooper III served four terms as North Carolina's Attorney General prior to his 2016 run for governor, in which he narrowly defeated the Republican incumbent Pat McCrory. After assuming office, he has frequently clashed with the Republican-led General Assembly; most recently, he vetoed a state budget which he said "values corporate tax breaks over classrooms, gimmicks over guaranteed school construction, and political ideology over people."

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 49%
- Disapproval rating: 22%
- Never heard of them: 29%

Gov. Eric Holcomb, the former lieutenant governor under former governor (now Vice President) Mike Pence, has informed officials in Washington that Indiana will remain a “law-and-order state” and will not legalize recreational use of marijuana. While he rejects cannabis, Holcomb welcomes gambling expansion in Indiana to keep it competitive with Illinois's legal gambling industry.

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 50%
- Disapproval rating: 36%
- Never heard of them: 14%

Gov. Jim Justice has no problem letting everyone know he is popular with President Donald Trump. He switched his allegiance from Democrat to Republican during a presidential rally in Huntington. Like Trump, Justice finds his family facing lawsuits; some claim the oil mining family is guilty of racketeering and fraud.

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 50%
- Disapproval rating: 30%
- Never heard of them: 20%

Maine's 75th Gov. Janet Mills has signed several bills since taking office in January, including a ban on single-use plastic bags, protections for Indian tribe fishing rights, and expanded abortion services. She has also pushed to legalize recreational marijuana sales by March 2020; if Mills succeeds, Maine will become the eighth state to legalize cannabis.

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 50%
- Disapproval rating: 30%
- Never heard of them: 21%

Gov. Doug Ducey is proving as popular in his second term as his first. He's signed off on dozens of bills since January, and has implemented vision screening in public schools, pushed for medical marijuana testing, and given Arizona landlords more eviction rights, among other initiatives.

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 52%
- Disapproval rating: 27%
- Never heard of them: 21%

Although he has a high approval rating from Morning Consult and Utah voters, Utah's nine-year Gov. Gary Herbert has decided not to run for re-election in 2020. He is particularly popular among Utah's refugee community, who awarded the 17th governor a lifetime achievement award, mainly because he crossed GOP lines to support foreign-born citizens.

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 52%
- Disapproval rating: 25%
- Never heard of them: 23%

Gov. Phil Bryant is popular among Mississippians: they have elected him twice as the state leader, once as lieutenant governor, and a few times as state auditor. Bryant, an advocate for criminal justice reform, recently tweeted his thanks to Kim Kardashian for being a champion on the issue after he attended a White House event with the reality TV star.

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 52%
- Disapproval rating: 16%
- Never heard of them: 32%

Gov. Brad Little served as lieutenant governor for a decade before taking the state's top political job. Now, he's under pressure to tackle Idaho's economy, health care, and education system. He's most recently put together a census committee for 2020 and a panel to spearhead conservation efforts, specifically directed at salmon populations.

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 53%
- Disapproval rating: 32%
- Never heard of them: 15%

A Quinnipiac University poll puts reelected Gov. Tom Wolf in a positive light, noting that his approval rating by Pennsylvania voters was higher this past May than when he was sworn in earlier in the year. Mary Snow, a polling analyst, said Pennsylvania's economy is booming, which is one reason that voters were eager to bring Wolf on for a second term.

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 53%
- Disapproval rating: 10%
- Never heard of them: 37%

While Wyoming's Gov. Mark Gordon remains popular among constituents, he is not so well-liked by Cheyenne Mayor Marian Orr, who accused the governor of using foul language and intimidating behavior. Since taking office in January, Gordon has declared June as the “Great Outdoors Month” in Wyoming and June 10 as “Wyoming Equal Pay Day.”

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 54%
- Disapproval rating: 32%
- Never heard of them: 15%

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts took office in 2015 and was re-elected in 2018. In May, Ricketts signed a $9.3 billion, two-year budget that has no significant tax increases, while offering property tax relief and expanding school aid.

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 54%
- Disapproval rating: 28%
- Never heard of them: 18%

Democratic presidential candidate Gov. Steve Bullock calls his chance to run against President Donald Trump the battle of his career. Bullock is a latecomer in the race, but has defied odds before when he won the governor's race for the second time in 2016 in the Republican-ruled state.

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 54%
- Disapproval rating: 28%
- Never heard of them: 18%

Carney represented Delaware in the House of Representatives before landing his role as Delaware's governor in the 2016 election, beating GOP contender Colin Bonini. Two years later, Gov. John Carney helped secure more farmland than ever before in state history. In 2018, Morning Consults reported that Carney had a more than 50% approval rating halfway through his four-year term.

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 54%
- Disapproval rating: 20%
- Never heard of them: 27%

Since taking office in 2019, Gov. Ron DeSantis has taken aim at sanctuary cities. DeSantis has been accused of racist behavior on a number of occasions, including a comment on the election trail that voters shouldn't "monkey this up"—referring to his black opponent. The Yale- and Harvard-educated former naval officer represented Florida's sixth district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2013 to 2018.

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 54%
- Disapproval rating: 14%
- Never heard of them: 33%

In the 2018 gubernatorial election, Gov. Bill Lee, the former CEO of the Lee Co., touted his business acumen and endeared himself to voters by poking fun at his lack of political experience on the campaign trail. Lee has championed criminal justice reform and legalized sports betting, and signed a school voucher bill into law since taking office in 2019.

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 55%
- Disapproval rating: 21%
- Never heard of them: 24%

Gov. Doug Burgum had no political experience before he became North Dakota's 33rd state leader. The North Dakota native, who sold his company to Microsoft for more than $1 billion, is favored for reelection, according to a Grand Forks Herald report.

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 57%
- Disapproval rating: 23%
- Never heard of them: 21%

Gov. Henry McMaster has made a name for himself as a former attorney general and lieutenant governor of South Carolina, and is already seeking reelection in 2022. The state's economic development and tax breaks under his administration have gained the South Carolina native high approval ratings, which rose from 48% in 2018 to 57% in 2019.

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 57%
- Disapproval rating: 23%
- Never heard of them: 20%

Before assuming the governorship in 2015, Greg Abbott was Texas' attorney general for more than a decade. His long-standing commitment to Texas helped him get reelected in 2018. He also successfully pushed to keep the 10 Commandments displayed in front of the state capitol.

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 57%
- Disapproval rating: 23%
- Never heard of them: 19%

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson ties with the governors of Texas and South Carolina at sixth in popularity, and has served Arkansas since 2015. Hutchinson's nephew, former state Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson, currently faces wire and tax fraud charges, as well as a bribery allegation.

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 59%
- Disapproval rating: 28%
- Never heard of them: 13%

After serving as lieutenant governor for six years, Gov. Phil Scott assumed office as Vermont's leader in 2017. Since then, Scott has seen up and down approval ratings, dropping down in 2018 after signing gun control legislation. Morning Consult also pointed out that Scott's numbers fell “far amid his reelection run” in the second quarter 2018 rankings, noting that “those shifts in sentiment follow Scott's decision to sign bills tightening gun restrictions in the state after a teenager was caught planning a school shooting.”

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 63%
- Disapproval rating: 19%
- Never heard of them: 18%

Like several other popular state leaders, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey served as the state's lieutenant governor for six years before assuming the top political office in 2017. Her successes include efforts to expand pre-kindergarten and give teachers a pay raise. She also recently signed the state's near-total abortion ban.

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 64%
- Disapproval rating: 23%
- Never heard of them: 13%

Since 2018, Sununu has appeared to be going back on some of his 2018 reelection campaign promises, including a promise to provide universal background checks for gun owners. Still, Morning Consult rates him as the country's third most popular governor.

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 71%
- Disapproval rating: 14%
- Never heard of them: 15%

Republican Larry Hogan overcame several obstacles to reach an approval rating over 70% in a mostly blue state. As the state's 62nd governor, Hogan is just the ninth Republican to lead Maryland and, in 2015, became only the second to win reelection. Hogan's moderate policies and willingness to back initiatives from across the political aisle give him the lowest disapproval rating among the governors at 14%.

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 73%
- Disapproval rating: 14%
- Never heard of them: 14%

Charlie Baker has topped the approval ratings nationwide for the second straight year, despite being a Republican in predominantly Democratic Massachusetts. Politico cited Baker's ability to distance himself from President Donald Trump without abandoning his Republican base. Baker, who was educated at Harvard, won his reelection bid in 2018 by a landslide, amassing a record 67% of the popular vote.