The Democratic governor of Kansas has a higher approval rating that Trump as the president has fallen to a net 0 in the reliability red presidential state.
According to the Kansas Speaks poll from the Docking Institute of Public Affairs at Fort Hays State University, “52.7 percent of respondents to the survey are satisfied so far with Gov. Kelly, and 26.4 percent are dissatisfied. On President Donald Trump, 44.1 percent are satisfied, and 44.3 percent are dissatisfied.”
Healthcare is one of Trump’s biggest problems in Kansas:
“Almost two-thirds – 62 percent – of Kansans support Medicaid expansion,†said Dr. Jian Sun, a professor of political science at FHSU and the Docking’s assistant director. Fifteen percent of survey respondents were neutral on the issue, and 23 percent did not support expansion.
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“Over 60 percent agree that Medicaid expansion would help rural Kansas hospitals and agree that those who might obtain health insurance from the expansion deserve this benefit,†said Sun. “Clearly this issue is on the minds of Kansans, as only 22 percent give Medicaid expansion no thought at all as a current political issue.â€
Trump’s approval rating has dropped a net 21 points in Kansas since he took office. Since October 2019, Trump’s Kansas approval rating has fallen from a net (+6) to a net (0)
Eighty-eight percent of voters in the state support universal background checks for all gun sales and 52% support an assault weapons ban.
Healthcare is going to be one of Trump’s biggest liabilities in the presidential election. The lesson in this poll is that even in historically red states like Kansas, expanding Obamacare is the most popular healthcare policy option.
The poll results don’t mean that Democrats can win Kansas, but that very few states are in the bag and can be taken for granted by Trump and the Republican Party.
The Democratic governor being more popular than Trump speaks to the political weakness of the president, but the other big lesson is that Democrats have to nominate the correct candidate to fully take advantage of Trump’s liabilities.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
