Sununu’s popularity continues to slide

Republican Gov. Chris Sununu’s popularity is slipping among the New Hampshire voters who are increasingly worried that the state is headed in the wrong direction, according to a new poll.

The poll, released Tuesday by the University of New Hampshire’s Survey Center, found that a majority of Granite State residents, or 54%, approve of Sununu’s job performance.

That’s a decline from the 62% who approved of his job performance during a similar poll in August and a 57% approval rating in a September survey, according to UNH pollsters.

At least 40% of those who responded to the poll disapprove of Sununu’s job performance – the highest recorded during his tenure as governor, the pollsters said.

The governor’s continued slide in the polls comes as he weighs a potential challenge to incumbent Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan in next year’s midterm elections.

Sununu is being urged by national Republican groups to run for the seat as part of a strategy to reclaim the U.S. Senate in next year’s midterm elections. Sununu told reporters earlier this week that a decision would be made soon.

The Senate race is expected to be one of the most competitive next year. Republicans and Democrats each hold 50 seats in the Senate with Democratic Vice President Harris serving as a tie-breaking vote.

Sununu, 46, handily won a third-term in the 2020 election with more than 65% of the vote, according to results.

UNH Pollsters noted that Sununu is still “highly regarded” among Republicans, with an 86% approving of his job performance, but has slipped among Democrats and independents.

“As recently as February, a majority of Democrats, or 51%, approved of Sununu’s performance, but his support among this group has halved since then while approval of his performance among Republicans is largely unchanged,” pollsters wrote.

The poll also found only four in 10 Granite Staters think the state is headed in the right direction. That’s a record high level of pessimism about the state’s outlook, the pollsters said

Respondents cited COVID-19 as the most pressing problem facing New Hampshire, while others mentioned jobs or the economy, according to the survey.

The UNH poll, which has a 3% margin of error, surveyed 1,061 New Hampshire residents between Oct. 14-18.

This article was originally posted on Sununu’s popularity continues to slide