Honeymoon is over for gov -- popularity bubble bursts in So Fla

After 18 months of sky-high approval ratings, Gov. Charlie Crist's poll numbers have come down to earth -- at least in South Florida. According to a new Miami Herald poll by Zogby International, 52 percent of respondents believe the governor is doing a fair to poor job of handling South Florida issues, compared to 43 percent who say he's doing an excellent to good job.

It's the first time in Crist's tenure that he's gotten a higher negative rating than a positive one and pollster John Zogby blames rising gas prices, the slumping real estate market and a stagnant job market.

"This is what happens to chief executives when the economy is down," Zogby said. "He was doing well across the board and now the fact that a sitting Republican governor who was polling 54 percent is
down to 43 percent is a sign. The recession is maturing."

Zogby's previous polls in South Florida had Crist's approval ratings at 54-36 percent in September and 54-40 percent in December in the three counties surveyed, making him one of the most popular Republican governors in the nation. The one area South Floridians criticize him most:
property taxes. 59 percent Floridians say the governor's handling of property taxes is fair to poor while only 30 percent say it's been good to excellent.

The poll surveyed 807 South Floridians and has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points. Read full story here.

Comments

[Derrick St.Holmes]

Mary Ellen..surely you know that an approval rating is based on a simple question "Do you approve or disapprove" of the job a person is doing. It is an up or down vote. The Zogby data you are reporting is an opinion poll NOT an approval rating. In the Zogby data everyone that rates the Governor as excellent, good OR fair, by definition, approve of the job he is doing. The true number for his approval rating is still in the 60's...nice try though.

[Fred]

It should be all south from here for the governor and his ratings! I think he is finding out when you lead by focusing on popularity and poll numbers and not on good public policy the back lash is devastating!

[Realist]

Anyone who proposes the sham of drilling off the coasts to reduce energy dependence, while allowing cuts to the finally useful Tri Rail, is not really concerned with sensible energy politics.

Drilling in more of the Gulf and Atlantic will not produce oil for a decade, and will not impact the price at the pump in any significant way. There is not enough oil out there.

I have really lost respect for Crist for this pandering.

[Gov. Lite]

This comes as no surprise to me, and shouldn't to others. Conservatives, regardless of their political affiliation have been saying that Gov. Crist is the best Democrat that Republicans have ever elected. This, since before this past legislative session began. Now it seems before he can form an opinion of his own he has to check with the McCain campaign to see what John McCains position is going to be. He didn't do that on the oil drilling issue and he had to flip-flop on the issue in less than a weeks time. That's typical of Charlie Crist. That's not leadership. Instead of blazing a trail, he's following the tail.