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SALT LAKE CITY — America’s governors are meeting in Washington, D.C., and Utah’s Gov. Gary Herbert may be the most popular person in the room.
A blog in The Washington Post calls Herbert the most popular governor in the country, largely based on approval ratings with his constituents.
“A poll last month showed Herbert's favorable rating at a sterling 73 percent, and he destroys all potential 2016 opponents in a head-to-head matchup,” wrote Chris Cillizza, who contributes to the Posts’s political blog, The Fix. “Yes, this was the reddest state in the 2012 election, but Herbert's popularity even outpaces his predecessors.”
The Post admits its rankings are somewhat subjective and take into account several different factors, ranging from approval rating to difficulty of what they have attempted to do legislatively to the political lean of their states.
Other governors in the top 10 were:
- Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead (R)
- North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple (R)
- Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe (D)
- Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval (R)
- New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez (R)
- Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin (R)
- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D)
- Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman (R) Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) and Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear (D) tied for 10th place. Herbert is in Washington, D.C. for the National Governors Association winter meetings.
