Stein’s Approval Ratings Lead Cooper’s At The Same Point In Tenure

By Theresa Opeka
Carolina Journal

With a little more than two months under his belt, North Carolina Democrat Gov. Josh Stein is in a strong honeymoon phase with approval ratings north of 50%. Stein is on par with previous governors at the beginning of their tenure, leading Cooper by five points, and trailing McCrory by one.

According to the latest Carolina Journal poll, 55.6% of likely voters surveyed said they approved of his job performance, while 20.4% disapproved, and 24% were unsure.

In March 2017, during the beginning of his first term, former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper had a 50% approval rating of likely voters, while 26% disapproved, and 25% said they didn’t know.

Cooper’s predecessor, former Republican Gov. Pat McCrory had a 56% approval rating of likely voters in March 2013, with 25% disapproving, 15% with no opinion, and 3% saying they never heard of him.

During his inauguration speech in January, Stein called for unity and said he wanted to work with the Republican-led General Assembly despite their differences.

“I want to stand with you as we fight for our people, not with each other,” he said. “No party has all the answers. Good ideas do not come with party labels. When we work together, we are stronger, and there is no limit to what we can accomplish for the good of the people of this state.”

In his first State of the State address, Stein said his focus is not on red or blue issues but North Carolina issues, such as Hurricane Helene recovery in western North Carolina, and although there may be differences of opinion, they can work together.

Stein has also had a good start to his relationship with President Donald Trump, who appointed him to the National Governors Association’s (NGA) Council of Governors and will serve as co-chair, along with Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin. When the governors met at the White House, Trump even praised Stein during the Governor’s Working Session.

While things are off to a good start, Mitch Kokai, John Locke Foundation senior political analyst, told Carolina Journal there’s nothing particularly remarkable about Stein’s current honeymoon period given that his approval ratings fall well within the norm of recent governors early in their terms in office.

“Stein should pay particular attention to the numbers associated with Pat McCrory,” he said. “He had an almost identical approval rating at the same point in his gubernatorial term in 2013 and ended up losing a re-election bid less than four years later. Political winds can shift dramatically in a short period of time.”

Kokai points out that as horrible as Helene has been for North Carolina, the recovery efforts have given the new governor an opportunity to shine but might take a different turn if the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina (GROW NC) has the same response time and issues that the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency (NCORR), the office that Cooper created after Hurricanes Florence and Matthew hit North Carolina, has had.

“That positive response won’t last if recovery efforts get bogged down in the same types of problems that plagued state government’s hurricane response in eastern North Carolina during the Cooper administration,” he said.

Kokai added that Stein has yet to stake out clear positions that are bound to displease conservative voters and independents who tend to lean Republican.

“If Stein follows through on proposals to reverse scheduled tax cuts, limit or roll back parental school choice, and push energy policies that would escalate families’ monthly bills, he will almost certainly see his approval ratings drop from their current peak,” he said. “Policy proposals that aim to please Democratic interest groups also would damage a working relationship with Republican legislative leaders that has started off well. If Stein is seen as playing to his party’s vocal left-wing, Republicans and conservatives will sour on him relatively quickly.”

Theresa Opeka is the Executive Branch reporter for the Carolina Journal.