A new poll commissioned by Crain’s Chicago Business found that only 23 percent of Illinoisans approve of Gov. Pat Quinn’s job performance.
Meanwhile, 46 percent are dissatisfied with the governor, 24 percent have mixed feelings, and 7 percent are unsure.
Regardless of how they feel about Quinn, three out of four Illinoisans say the state is on the wrong track.
According to the poll, which was conducted by Ipsos and surveyed 545 voters between June 8 and 13:
The biggest reason for the governor’s low ratings appears to be the state’s stuttering economy. Two-thirds of the sample, 67 percent, say they disapprove of Mr. Quinn’s handling of the economy.
He doesn’t do much better on three other issues — gas prices, education and corruption — but his “strong disapproval” was lower and approval was higher on each of the other three.
The same message from would-be voters — it’s jobs and money that matter most — comes across when the survey asked what is the most important issue facing the state.
Thirty percent name the economy, and 28 percent cite unemployment/the lack of jobs. No other single issue hits double digits, with the next highest being crime at 7 percent.
It’s pretty hard to get the voters to love you again when your approval rate drops to 23 percent. When it gets that low, most people would take a chance on Genghis Khan rather than re-elect you to another term. Given that, Ward Room thinks it’s time to publish a Pat Quinn Countdown Clock. Quinn’s term expires on Monday, January 12, 2015. That means he has 928 days left to turn the state’s economy around, lower the income tax back to three percent, fund the pension system and balance the budget. For those who can’t wait until someone else inherits those problems, here’s a widget:
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