There's more bad news for Governor Romney in the most recent Bay State Poll. The Eagle-Tribune has the story:
Gov. Mitt Romney's approval rating has dipped to its lowest point in more than a year-and-a-half, according to a statewide poll conducted over the last two weeks.
Only about 43 percent of participants in the survey said they approved of how Romney is handling his job as governor, down sharply from 56 percent in early February and the lowest since the Bay State Poll began tracking public opinion in November 2003.
So, why has it dropped so far? The answer, if my armchair analysis is correct, can be found in the disconnect between these two numbers:
Will Romney Run for President in 2008?| Very Likely | 24.9% |
| Somewhat Likely | 41.3% |
| Not Very Likely | 26.8% |
| Don't know/Refused (Vol) | 7.0% |
Should Romney Run for President in 2008?
In other words, most Bay Staters think Mitt should not run for president, but even more think it's at least somewhat likely that he will. This tells a bit of a different story than the numbers in
February, which suggested (at least to me) that voters didn't really care if Romney ran for President. I suppose two months of Romney stumping in preparation of '08 were enough to turn some people against him.
The poll also asked about the Democratic Gubernatorial Primary:
| Secretary of State William Galvin | 8.1% |
| Attorney General Thomas Reilly | 21.3% |
| Former US Assistant Attorney General Deval Patrick | 4.0% |
| Somebody Else | 35.5% |
| Don't know/Refused (Vol) | 31.1% |
While Reilly might take some comfort in being fairly far out ahead of his competition, this poll shows that two-thirds of the electorate is undecided. At this early date, it looks like anyone could win the Democratic nomination. If "somebody else" is still polling high in the next poll, it would not surprise me to see another candidate jump in to grab the brass ring. Chris Gabrielli could fund his own candidacy, and Joe Kennedy or Mike Capuano might reconsider.
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