BUYERS’ REMORSE IN OHIO…. It’s a political dynamic we’ve seen many times before. An incumbent becomes unpopular for reasons that aren’t his/her fault, leading voters to elect someone from the other party in order to get a change in direction. Voters then realize the new person is much worse and feel buyers’ remorse.
We’re seeing a terrific example of this in Ohio. Former Gov. Ted Strickland (D) was narrowly defeated in November as the state’s economy continued to struggle, ousted by Gov. John Kasich (R), the strange former congressman and Lehman Brothers executive, who almost certainly would have lost under normal circumstances.
And after a few months of watching the Kasich administration, Ohioans wish he had lost.
We find [Kasich] with just a 35% approval rating and 54% of voters disapproving of him. His approval with people who voted for him is already all the way down to 71%, while he’s won over just 5% of folks who report having voted for Ted Strickland last fall. Particularly concerning for him is a 33/54 spread with independents.
Voters in the state are having significant buyers’ remorse about the results of last fall’s election. In a rematch 55% say they would now vote for Ted Strickland to just 40% who would vote for Kasich.
That’s from Public Policy Polling. A new Ohio Poll from the University of Cincinnati shows similar results, with Kasich’s support dropping to just 40%.
What’s more, the governor’s standing may yet deteriorate further, when voters see what else he’s up to.
Reporters have been told they will not be allowed to broadcast sound and images from the Tuesday release of Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s budget plan.
Spokeswoman Connie Wehrkamp says journalists can bring only pens, notepads and tape recorders to the afternoon briefing, where Kasich is to announce the first details of his state spending blueprint for the next two years. She says videos and photos will be prohibited and the audio may not be used for anything but checking accuracy.
In case you’re curious, the answer is no, there is no legal mechanism that allows Ohio voters to recall a governor.
