Do you ever wonder how people feel in the backward states where majorities voted for Trump and crackpot ideologically rightist governors who have banned pandemic mandates? I mean, normal people live in all of these states, even Wyoming. In fact-- even though Trump won this most politically backward state in America 69.9% to 26.5%, Teton County was very much the opposite-- 67.1% for Biden adjust 29.6% for Señor Trumpanzee. although it was much closer, Albany County-- which includes Laramie-- flipped blue as well. (The rest of the state was ugly red.) As a state, Wyoming has the second smallest percentage of fully vaccinated people after Idaho-- just 43%, but that's dragged down by the beet red counties where Trump did best:
Crook Co.- 88.6% Trump (25% fully vaccinated)
Weston Co.- 87.7% Trump (31% fully vaccinated)
Campbell Co.- 86.8% Trump (25% fully vaccinated)
Niobrara Co.- 85.5% Trump (26% fully vaccinated)
Converse Co.- 84.9% Trump (29% fully vaccinated)
Big Horn Co.- 83.5% Trump (32% fully vaccinated)
Compare that to Teton where people gave Biden a landslide-- 80% fully vaccinated!
About a week ago, the COVID States Project reported that before the Delta variant hit, most states reacted to the dip in infections and increase in vaccinations by lifting indoor mask mandates, only to struggle to adapt as cases surged again when Delta came into force in the late summer and early fall 2021. "Some of these states were responding to CDC guidance, which announced in May that fully vaccinated people no longer needed to wear masks indoors or outdoors, only to reverse that guidance a few months later and recommend masks indoors for Americans living in areas of high transmission regardless of vaccination status. Other states rebuffed the guidance of public health agencies by, for instance, banning mask mandates in schools, businesses, and other public places. These policy decisions received wide criticism particularly as COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths surged in those states with the loosest pandemic restrictions."
Their findings include some interesting reactions to governors. In states with prohibitions on vaccine mandates governors garner the lowest approval ratings. "This relationship holds even after accounting for partisanship, race, gender, vaccination status, the governor's party, and the state's average per capita COVID-19 cases. Governors of states with higher average COVID-19 cases per capita receive lower approval ratings than governors of states where cases are lower.
On average, 45% of respondents approved of their state governor’s handling of the pandemic, a seven point drop from the 52% approval that governors enjoyed in June and the lowest approval of governors since the start of the pandemic. States with particularly notable approval declines are Virginia, Oklahoma, Nevada, Idaho, Alaska, Mississippi, Ohio, Arkansas, and Wisconsin-- all of whose governors experienced double digit declines in approval since June. There were increases in approval in just four states, and in none of those were the increases significant. Slightly fewer respondents approve of their governor’s handling of the pandemic than approve of the President’s performance on the issue. This is in stark contrast to 2020, when then-President Trump consistently garnered lower approval than governors with respect to the pandemic.
In the states hardest hit by the recent spike in cases associated with the Delta variant (that is, states above the median number of average per capita cases) four in ten (40%) approve of their state's governor’s pandemic performance. Approval in states with higher cases is 11 percentage points lower than in states with lower average case counts (below the median). This may be partly due to variations in how state governments have responded to the pandemic, both generally and regarding the spike in cases associated with the Delta variant. For example, state policies on vaccine mandates vary widely. In the 20 states where vaccines are required for at least some workers as of September 28, 2021, a slim majority (52%) of respondents approve of their governor’s handling of the pandemic.
Approval is lower in the 19 states without such mandates (42% approve) and is lower still in the 11 states where vaccine mandates are prohibited (36%). Governors of states without vaccine mandates or where vaccine mandates are prohibited receive significantly lower approval for their handling of the pandemic even after accounting for alternative factors known to predict approval, including party, gender, race, vaccination status, governor’s party, and average daily cases in the state.
...The partisan gap in approval of Democratic governors has increased dramatically through the pandemic, due primarily to a steady and dramatic decrease in approval by Republicans, from 58% in April 2020, to 29% in September 2021 (Democratic approval of Democratic governors dropped more modestly, from 77% to 71%). Indeed, partisan polarization of Republican governors has decreased, largely because of a sizable drop in approval among Republicans for Republican governors (from 77% to 55%). This divergence in partisan gap started after the election. In November, the partisan gap in approval of Republican governors was larger than for Democratic governors.
As we have noted in our earlier reports, there are five Republican governors who stand out for having very high approval among Democrats (the governors of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maryland, and Ohio). Indeed, throughout 2021, those five governors have had higher average approval among Democratic respondents than among their Republican counterparts. In September, this partisan approval gap stands at 8 points, down from 18 points in June. Nearly all of this narrowing of the partisan gap is attributable to declines in approval of these five Republican governors among their fellow Republican partisans.
OK, so let's look at each state's gubernatorial approve (September):
Alaska- 34% (down 7 points from June)- 125 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Alabama- 41% (down 8 points from June)- 17 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Arkansas- 37% (down 11 points from June)- 20 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Arizona- 28% (down 9 points from June)- 31 daily cases per 100,000 residents
California- 54% (up 3 points from June)- 14 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Colorado- 53% (down 4 points from June)- 43 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Connecticut- 62% (down 10 points from June)- 12 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Delaware- 53% (down 1 point from June)- 38 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Florida- 36% (down 9 points from June)- 12 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Georgia- 33% (down 7 points from June)- 16 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Hawaii- 38% (down 6 points from June)- 9 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Iowa- 28% (down 10 points from June)- 34 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Idaho- 30% (down 14 points from June)- 67 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Illinois- 52% (down 3 points from June)- 18 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Indiana- 46% (up 3 points from June)- 30 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Kansas- 41% (down 6 points from June)- 27 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Kentucky- 51% (down 9 points from June)- 44 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Louisiana- 53% (up 2 points from June)- 14 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Massachusetts- 64% (down 4 points from June)- 20 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Maryland- 60% (down 10 points from June)- 16 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Maine- 51% (down 4 points from June)- 35 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Michigan- 51% (down 7 points from June)- 44 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Minnesota- 46% (down 6 points from June)- 50 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Missouri- 34% (down 4 points from June)- 19 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Mississippi- 28% (down 13 points from June)- 17 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Montana- 42% (down 6 points from June)- 80 daily cases per 100,000 residents
North Carolina- 46% (down 7 points from June)- 30 daily cases per 100,000 residents
North Dakota- 41% (up 4 points from June)- 67 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Nebraska- 39% (down 2 points from June)- 31 daily cases per 100,000 residents
New Hampshire- 56% (down 7 points from June)- 40 daily cases per 100,000 residents
New Jersey- 60% (down 2 points from June)- 16 daily cases per 100,000 residents
New Mexico- 50% (down 4 points from June)- 33 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Nevada- 42% (down 15 points from June)- 22 daily cases per 100,000 residents
New York- 57% (down 5 points from June)- 24 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Ohio- 49% (down 12 points from June)- 39 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Oklahoma- 32% (down 15 points from June)- 33 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Oregon- 42% (down 6 points from June)- 26 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Pennsylvania- 41% (down 6 points from June)- 35 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Rhode Island- 52% (down 8 points from June)- 25 daily cases per 100,000 residents
South Carolina- 36% (down 10 points from June)- 28 daily cases per 100,000 residents
South Dakota- 41% (down 6 points from June)- 35 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Tennessee- 31% (down 18 points from June)- 28 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Texas- 32% (down 9 points from June)- 21 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Utah- 43% (down 7 points from June)- 40 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Virginia- 49% (down 15 points from June)- 25 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Vermont- 69% (down 9 points from June)- 37 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Washington- 55% (down 5 points from June)- 31 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Wisconsin- 42% (down points from June)- 37 daily cases per 100,000 residents
West Virginia- 54% (down 7 points since June)- 60 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Wyoming- 41% (down 9 points from June)- 70 daily cases per 100,000 residents
Remember, these are statewide stats. See that nice photo that was snapped yesterday in an Idaho parking lot. The fascist driving the truck, however is from Washington-- a sane state with smart people who only gave Trump 38.8% of their votes and are 62% fully vaccinated-- above the national average and they like their Democratic governor. Well the fuller story is that he's from Pend Orielle County, Washington, which voted 67% Trump, is only 35% vaccinated and is right up against an overtly fascist bastion next to the Idaho border. Counties are way more fascinating to study than states.
The Hill's analysis of the data included a discussion of two big national problem governors, Abbott (R-TX), pictured on the right, and DeSantis (R-FL). "Monique Beals wrote that "governors deciding against vaccine mandates 'should really assess what’s in their political best interests when it comes to the pandemic,' quoting one of the survey team members. She noted that Abbott and DeSantis have been among the most outspoken figures against President Biden's vaccine mandate, each taking measures to counter the measures in their states. And both are eyeing re-election next year. Abbott's overall approval rating has plunged in recent weeks, as Democrats including former Rep. Beto O'Rourke and actor Matthew McConaughey consider running against him. DeSantis holds a comfortable lead over his potential Democratic opponents and is a leading candidate for president should former President Trump decide against running in 2024. A recent CBS News/YouGov poll found that 57 percent of Americans would vote for a candidate that supported COVID-19 vaccine mandates while 43 percent of respondents said they would prefer a candidate who opposed such mandates."