Governor's job approval rating at 65%, poll shows

By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Capitol Bureau

Gov. Linda Lingle's job approval rating dipped since last year but is still high among Hawai'i residents, according to The Honolulu Advertiser Hawai'i Poll.

The poll found 65 percent — nearly two-thirds — of Hawai'i's residents approve of the way Gov. Linda Lingle is handling the state's challenges, down from last year's rating of 71 percent. Those who disapprove of Lingle's approach also rose correspondingly from 14 percent to 20 percent.

Meanwhile, the Legislature appears to have fallen out of favor with more residents, with people who don't approve of its approach outnumbering those who do. At the same time, however, more than half of local residents think their own senators and representatives are doing a good job.

The statewide survey of 605 Hawai'i residents was conducted March 24 to 27 by Ward Research Inc. of Honolulu. The margin of error is 4 percentage points, which means a survey of all Hawai'i residents would not be likely to produce a result more than 4 percentage points above or below the poll results.

Shermaih "Jerry" Iaea Jr., a 72-year-old Wai'anae resident, said he approves of Lingle and her idea to break up the statewide school board into locally elected boards.

"We had the old way for many years and that hasn't worked," said Iaea, who retired from the military. "So she's trying something else. And many people are endorsing her except the Legislature. They still want to move on with the old method."

Iaea also said he still approves of the Legislature's approach "to some degree," and that his area representative and senator are doing a "terrific" job.

"They do all the functions that we have in the community," he said. "They're always there for us. I can see that. And they're working for the people as far as bills and stuff go."

Joanna Barnes, a 63-year-old literacy outreach program director from Pe'ahi, Maui, said she would give Lingle a B or a B-, noting that no governor since statehood should get an A. "I'm very glad that she has brought the question of education to the table and sort of put it on everybody's plate whether they like it or not," she said.

Barnes said the Legislature is not doing a good job because its members have a self-interest and do not work together. "It's not like they've ever come together collectively on much of anything, it's always one side of the aisle or the other," she said. But she said she approves of her own district lawmakers.

"I'm the typical American," she said. "My personal legislators try very hard. I know that. And we look at the whole as failing us. Everybody pretty much approves of their own legislators but they look at what happens in the collective and they say it's somebody's fault but not my guy's fault. I don't know where the fault lies, other than coming back to that business of there being no vision and everybody's self-interest getting in the way of anything getting done."

Nicole Guess, a 34-year-old educational assistant from Honolulu, said she hasn't made up her mind about the approaches of Lingle and the Legislature, but that she has a little more faith in the governor.

"She hasn't been in that long. I'd like to give her a little bit more time and the benefit of the doubt," she said. "I see her at so many places and functions and she does seem very warm and open. ... I just need to see more action going forward to convince me."

Lingle said she was pleased with her approval rating and said it reflects not only what she's doing but the work of her administration.

"I'm very happy," she said. "We've been involved in a lot of tough issues, we've taken some strong stands and to have such a high rating at this point I think is a good sign."

Lingle touted the administration's efforts to improve the economy, restore trust in government and keep major issues such as school reform in the forefront.

Ward Research president Rebecca Ward said the decline in Lingle's approval rating over last year is statistically significant, but Lingle said the ratings are probably about the same because of the margin of error. The Advertiser's previous poll, conducted in late January 2003, showed Lingle with a 71 percent approval rating.

Don Clegg, who has polled for Democratic and Republican candidates, said approval ratings shortly after a politician is elected are typically high. "Then you see a dip going down generally as time goes on," Clegg said. "You can't sustain it for the four years you're in. You're not new anymore."

Clegg said politicians should start worrying when their approval ratings start pushing the low 50s.

The Legislature has even lower ratings than that, with only 39 percent of Hawai'i residents approving of its approach, while 45 percent disapprove.

"I think the Legislature is out of tune with the voters, but that's not new news," said Clegg, who thought the Legislature's approval ratings would be lower.

Clegg said it's typical for the governor to have a higher approval rating than the Legislature, because an individual has fewer opportunities to offend voters than a body of lawmakers.

More than half of the residents polled said they approved of the approach their own senator and representative are taking. This rating also fell slightly over last year, but the fact that residents don't necessarily link their own lawmakers to their view of the overall Legislature may be somewhat of a relief for Democratic legislators who are up for election this year.

Senate President Robert Bunda, D-22nd (North Shore, Wahiawa), noted that lawmakers still have a few weeks left in the session and that a truer picture of the view of the Legislature would be captured after the session wraps up May 6.

House Speaker Calvin Say, D-20th (St. Louis Hts., Palolo, Wilhemina Rise), said he's surprised about the Legislature's approval ratings.

He suggested people may be upset about the Senate's narrow rejection of state chief labor negotiator Ted Hong's nomination to the Big Island Circuit Court last month and that some lawmakers have "caused some tribulations about the character integrity of elected officials."

According to the poll, people who were born and raised here were more likely to disapprove of Lingle than those who have moved to Hawai'i. The poll also showed Lingle's support was strongest among those with household incomes above $75,000, while the Legislature tended to be supported by those with lower incomes.

Disapproval of the Legislature was highest among those at least 55 years old and lowest among those younger than 35.

Staff writer Gordon Y.K. Pang contributed to this report. Reach Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 525-8070.