In deep blue Massachusetts, Governor Baker gets high marks for coronavirus response
New poll shows 68% disapprove of President Trump’s handling of crisis; former Vice President Biden has a 32-point lead in presidential contest.
Once an early coronavirus hot spot, Massachusetts is now one of a handful of states where the virus is, seemingly, under control. A new poll finds 81% of registered voters in Massachusetts approve of how Governor Baker has handled the outbreak, including 47% who “strongly” approve.
Democrats approve of Baker’s coronavirus performance more than his fellow Republicans. Fully 91% of Democrats approve of how Baker has handled the outbreak, including 56% who “strongly” approve. This compares with 74% approval among Republicans, only 32% of whom “strongly” approve of Baker’s coronavirus approach.
Even among groups hardest hit by the virus, Governor Baker gets strong marks. A majority of those living in the lowest-income households (80%), those who work part-time (77%) or are not employed (79%), and non-white voters (82%) approve of Governor Baker’s handling of the outbreak. However, these groups are less likely to say they “strongly” approve of Baker’s response.
The coronavirus is top of mind for a majority of voters; 55% call it the most important issue facing state government. Jobs and the economy (22%) is a distant second, and many of the comments mentioning the economy were framed around the question of reopening and the virus. Voters think Baker has handled that balance well. A majority (60%) say the Governor’s plan to reopen the state’s economy has “been about right”. Far fewer think say businesses have opened up too quickly (22%), or not quickly enough (11%).
Overall, 77% of voters hold a favorable view of Baker. By contrast, President Donald Trump remains deeply unpopular in Massachusetts. Two-thirds of voters (67%) have an unfavorable view of the President, about the same as the share who disapprove of his handling of COVID (68%). A majority (55%) “strongly” disapprove of Trump’s handling of the crisis. But Republicans continue to favor the President over the Governor, giving Trump higher marks than Baker for overall favorability (79% versus 63%), and judging both equally on their response to COVID (74% versus 75%).
Looking ahead to the November presidential contest, former Vice President Joe Biden has a commanding lead. A majority of voters (55%) say they would vote for Biden, compared with only 23% who would cast their vote for Trump. Biden’s 32-point lead is 5 points better than Hillary Clinton’s final margin in Massachusetts, consistent with other state and national polls showing Biden outperforming the 2016 nominee. If Biden’s current margin were to hold in November, it would be the largest Democratic victory in Massachusetts since Bill Clinton won the state by 34 points in 1996.
About the poll: These results are based on a survey of 797 Massachusetts registered voters. Responses were collected via online survey interviewing July 17-20,2020. Final survey data was weighted to known and estimated population parameters for the state’s registered voters by age, gender, race, education, geography, and party identification. These questions were sponsored by The MassINC Polling Group.