Poll: Gretchen Whitmer’s Approval Rating Plunges

Down 11 points since last September

Josh Christenson • September 20, 2021 5:25 pm

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s (D., Mich.) job approval rating has plummeted more than 10 points in the last year, according to a state poll.

The Glengariff Group, a Michigan survey research firm, found only 48 percent of voters approve of Whitmer’s performance as governor, whereas 46 percent disapprove. In September 2020, the same poll found 59 percent of voters approved of Whitmer’s leadership and 38 percent disapproved. The shift in opinions occurred most noticeably among independent voters.

Whitmer’s lagging poll numbers come after a year of reports showed Whitmer repeatedly violating her own COVID health policies. In June 2020, she joined hundreds to march in a protest during one of the peaks of the coronavirus pandemic. And in January, she attended President Joe Biden’s inauguration—an outdoor event with thousands of attendees—even though she levied a 25-person cap on outdoor gatherings in her state. She was photographed in May violating her own COVID-19 restrictions again while sitting with more than six diners in a bar.

Michigan’s auditor general is also investigating Whitmer to determine how many nursing home residents died of COVID-19 as a result of her controversial pandemic policies.

Alongside Whitmer’s lagging poll numbers, the poll revealed a majority of voters believe the state is on the wrong track and disapprove of Biden’s leadership.

The Detroit Regional Chamber PAC, which commissioned the poll, endorsed Whitmer for governor in 2018 over GOP candidate Bill Schuette. The poll surveyed 600 registered voters in the state via telephone.