Ouch:
President Donald Trump’s approval ratings have crumbled in Georgia over his first year in the White House, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll released Friday that shows nearly six in 10 registered voters disapprove of his performance.
The poll, conducted by the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs, pegs the president’s approval rating at 36.7 percent and his disapproval rating at 58.7 percent. That’s a decline from an AJC poll conducted in January 2017 shortly before he took office with more evenly divided results.
Trump's ratings in the poll are generally worse than what national polls have shown, and they deviate sharply from the results of the 2016 presidential election, when Trump won Georgia by 5 points.
The AJC survey of 940 voters was conducted before Trump reportedly criticized immigrants from “shithole” countries, but several conservative-leaning respondents interviewed by the AJC said those types of remarks highlighted their concerns about him.
“Whoever hears of someone talking this way?” asked Stuart Siegel, a 74-year-old Sandy Springs retiree.
“I was a Republican until this last election, but I’m becoming more of an independent,” he added. “I’ve seen some of the good things he’s done — like lowering the corporate taxes — but I don’t like him personally. Not at all. I don’t think he has the stature of a president.”
Other supporters of the president pointed to what they saw as his accomplishments — a growing economy, a better business climate and the package of $1.5 trillion in tax cuts that Trump signed into law in December.
“The country is moving in the right direction. The tax cuts are a big step in the right direction. The economy is doing much better,” said Janice Ransbotham, a 70-year-old retiree from west Cobb County. “There are a lot of things I see are changing for the better.”
The AJC poll showed Trump’s strongest base of support in Georgia was among voters in North Georgia and among those who describe themselves as conservative or very conservative. About 85 percent of voters who cast ballots for him in 2016 said they approve of his first year in office.
He faces a solid block of opposition among Democrats — 97 percent disapprove of him — along with nearly 70 percent of voters who described themselves as moderates. The gender gap was stark: About 44 percent of men approved of him and less than one-third of women.
The president’s approval ratings largely mirror the pessimistic view Georgians have over the direction of the country, according to the poll. About 40 percent described themselves as very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the way things are going in the U.S. today, while 57 percent took the opposing view. Of those, 28 percent were very dissatisfied.
Democrats have a great opportunity here to pick up seats but also flip the Governor’s race in their direction. In Georgia, the Democratic Primary is one of the top races to watch:
It’s a testament to the changing Democratic map that one of the party’s toughest primary battles of 2018 involves a statewide election in Georgia. But the May primary between former Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams, who is African American, and state Sen. Stacey Evans, who is white, has already exposed fault lines within the Democratic coalition. When Evans spoke at the Netroots Nation conference last fall, protesters chanting “support black women” interrupted her remarks and handed out literature comparing Evans to Trump Education Secretary Betsy Devos; Abrams issued a lengthy defense of the protesters. Abrams has the support of civil rights legend Rep. John Lewis; EMILY’s List, which helps elect pro-choice women; and Nina Turner, president of Sanders’ political organization Our Revolution. Evans is backed by ex-Gov. Roy Barnes (the last Democrat to win statewide in Georgia) and a smattering of Democrats who think Abrams has worked too closely with Republicans during her time in the state Legislature.
Abrams has been the favorite here, especially in the Daily Kos community and from yours truly. She’s been gaining national coverage. You can watch her segment on the most recent episode of TBS’ Full Frontal with Samantha Bee:
Click here to donate and get involved with Abrams’ campaign.