A poll released Monday by Public Policy Polling has thrown a big bucket of cold water on Ohio governor John Kasich’s rumored White House ambitions—and it’s not great news for others in his administration, either. The poll shows Kasich trailing likely Democratic challenger Ed Fitzgerald by three points, and puts the governor’s disapproval rating at 47%, compared to 42% approval, a significant drop from a June Quinnipiac poll.
The poll also shows Secretary of State Jon Husted’s approval rating stagnant at 28% approve/28% disapprove, and barely breaking out ahead of his likely Democratic challenger Nina Turner in a hypothetical race, polling at 37% to her 36%. Husted, famous for his work to make it harder to vote in Ohio, was recently smacked down by a federal judge who ruled against his attempts to block some ballots from being counted.
Finally, the poll shows state treasurer Josh Mandel in trouble, with 41% disapproving of his job and only 30% approving, and losing a hypothetical matchup against Democrat Connie Pillich by five points—which might reflect the trouble he’s in over his poor decision-making on pensions, potentially costing Ohio workers millions in fees.
It might be tempting for Kasich and his supporters to put this down to a bad poll from PPP, but given PPP’s record as the most accurate pollster of 2012, it seems much more likely it’s the result of a flood of bad news, bad decisions and just plain bad ideas from his administration. The Cleveland Plain Dealer points out that, since the more favorable June poll, Kasich has “signed a state budget that included anti-abortion amendments,” including a medically-unnecessary ultrasound provision – a bill that’s already limiting Ohio women’s access to healthcare they need. On top of that, Kasich has “begun to take more flak for the dealings of the state economic development agency he privatized” – and the criticism is understandable, because six of the nine members of JobsOhio’s board of directors “have direct financial ties to companies that have received tax credits and other assistance from state government.” The newly-created non-profit has also assisted a company at which Kasich spent nine years as a director, and which in the past has paid Kasich personally. It’s hard to feel sorry for Kasich’s tanking approval numbers and dim reelection prospects when these problems are his own fault- his own bad policy decisions, and his own shady dealings with companies that take government money. So… Kasich 2016, anyone?