Poll Says Doug Burgum Is Third Most Popular Governor in America, Hoeven and Heitkamp Also Get Strong Numbers
Doug Burgum addresses the crowd after winning the office of governor Tuesday night, Nov. 8, 2016, at the Sanctuary Events Center in Fargo. Brent Sanford, at right in the photo, is the new Lt. Governor Dave Wallis / The Forum
According to a poll by Morning Consult, North Dakota’s Doug Burgum is the third most popular governor in America.
In polling conducted from January to March of 2017, Burgum put up a 69 percent approval rating with just 16 percent saying they disapprove. That’s up significantly from the 53 percent approval Governor Jack Dalrymple got in this poll back in September.
That’s a bit lower than the 76 percent of voters who cast their ballots for Burgum in November, but this poll also counted 15 percent of respondents as undecided. On election day you don’t get to be undecided.
South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard came in as the 5th most popular governor. Also of note is that every single governor in the top 10 is a Republican.
North Dakota’s two Senators also enjoyed high approval marks according to the same poll.
Senator John Hoeven was in the top 10 for popularity among America’s 100 U.S. Senators, with a 65 percent approval rating and 23 percent disapproval. That’s up 2 points from the same poll in September.
Senator Heidi Heitakmp came in at 16th with a 60 percent approval rating and 32 percent disapproval. That’s a strong showing for someone who is widely considered to be at risk for losing her seat in 2018. “Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) is the most popular of the vulnerable Democrats, with 6 in 10 North Dakotans saying they approve of her job performance,” Morning Consult reports.
Heitkamp’s approval is up three points since September.
Morning Consult didn’t poll members of the U.S. House, apparently. Which is too bad. It would have been nice to where where Rep. Kevin Cramer is at, particularly since he’s widely considered to be the Republican most likely to take Heitkamp on next year.
