It’s a footnote in a Quinnipiac University poll that focused on the presidential and U.S. Senate races in Connecticut, but the state is still evenly divided on the job performance of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy as he edges closer to the mid-point of his first term.
The short version: The rich and poor think he’s doing a decent job; folks in the middle are less enamored.
In a poll of likely voters released today, 44 percent approve and 43 percent disapprove of Malloy’s performance over an eventful 19 months as governor in which he raised taxes and cut services to erase an inherited $3.6 billion deficit.
Voters evidently paid attention to the governor’s insistence on keeping the tax rate on top earners competitive with nearby states, while helping Connecticut’s poorer residents with an earned income tax credit and by maintaining the social safety net.
His is most favorably viewed by the top and bottom income groups — under $30,000 and over $100,000.
Voters in households earning less than $30,000 annually approve, 47 percent to 37 percent. He is favored 48 percent to 43 percent by voters with household incomes above $100,000.
In the middle, it’s a different story: 39 percent approve and 48 percent disapprove in the $30,000 to $50,000 segment, and 42 percent approve and 48 percent disapprove in the next group, up to $100,000.
Rich, poor and middle-income voters are unified on one question: They all disapprove of the General Assembly.