Gov. Mark Gordon has been ranked as the nation’s fifth most popular governor in a recent poll conducted by the Morning Consult.
While one former state legislator said he was not surprised by Gordon’s high ranking, another questioned the survey’s methodology.
The Morning Consult is a privately-owned data intelligence company, and this week, it published its annual ranking of the most popular governors in America.
Gordon rounded out the top five, all Republican governors, with an approval rating of 66%.
“The Governor is not focused on polling, but is focused on providing fiscally conservative leadership,” Gordon spokesman Michael Pearlman told Cowboy State Daily.
“He remains committed to a limited and transparent government that works for the people of Wyoming and will continue to challenge the Biden administration on multiple fronts to protect and preserve Wyoming’s freedoms and its core industries,” he said.
Former legislator Diemer True, also a former chairman of the Wyoming Republican Party, was unsurprised that Gordon ranked so high in the poll and complimented Gordon for his work in the state’s highest office.
“He’s been dealt a very difficult hand with the pandemic and budget crisis and he still stayed in touch with the voters,” True told Cowboy State Daily. “I think people look at him as facing a very, very difficult task and doing the best he can with it.”
True added that he was glad he was not in Gordon’s position when dealing with the pandemic, and said the 66% approval rating was good by any standard, but especially during the challenging time when Gordon took office.
However, former representative Scott Clem of Gillette, who has been critical of Gordon since he took office, questioned the survey’s methods.
“According to the poll, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is tied with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), both at 50%. Even more startling, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) is sitting at 51%, even though Republicans just swept the state in the last election a few weeks ago,” Clem told Cowboy State Daily. “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is one of the most popular Republicans in the US, is sitting at 52%. In fact, the great tyrant from California, Gavin Newsom (D) is beating all those at 56%.
“Then there is Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota, who has shown more courage and fortitude than nearly everyone else, sitting at 58%,” Clem continued. “Yet we’re to believe that Gordon is more popular than them all, at 66%? That’s sounds about as accurate as those who tell us that masks stop people from getting the coronavirus.”
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott was ranked as the most popular governor, with an approval rating of 79%. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, was the least popular in the poll, with an approval rating of 43%.
Responses for the poll were gathered between July 21 and Oct. 20 among registered voters in each state. There is a margin of error of plus or minus 4%.
