Gov. Bobby Jindal’s approval among Louisianians is plummeting despite widespread staunch fiscal conservatism, according to a recently released poll.
Conducted by Southern Opinion and Media Research Inc., the poll of 600 randomly selected Louisiana voters shows Jindal’s approval dropping precipitously from 68 percent in March to 55 percent in November. That’s 22 percent lower than Jindal’s highest mark in 2008, when almost three-quarters of Louisianians supported him.
The number of voters who disapprove of Jindal’s performance rose from 37 percent to 43 percent.
A news release about the poll links Jindal’s decline to his out-of-state travels. The governor has come under fire from politicians and pundits for spending too much time out of the state.
A letter from LSU Student Government President J Hudson criticizing Jindal for traveling made national headlines earlier this semester.
With Jindal’s decline, the poll shows State Treasurer John Kennedy usurping the governor in terms of popularity. Sixty-one percent of voters approved of his performance.
Kennedy has earned headlines in the past few months with his 16-point plan to fill the state’s impending $1.6 billion budget deficit. The poll says that plan, which hinges on drastic reductions in the number of state employees, is popular among Louisiana residents.
Kennedy has battled publicly with Jindal’s administration over the plan, which administration officials say isn’t practical.
Thirty-nine percent of respondents said the state was in decline. Only 19 percent said conditions
were improving.
Jindal’s decline in popularity comes despite continued support for many of his policies, especially on taxes and fiscal issues.
Seventy-two percent of respondents said state tax dollars are being spent unwisely, while 62 percent said the state’s budget woes are a result of too much spending. Those policy positions closely mirror Jindal’s stated agenda.
Fifty-five percent of respondents said they would rather protect health care from continued cuts than higher education. Both programs bear harsh budget burdens when the state’s budget gets cut.
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Contact Matthew Albright at [email protected]