Arkansas Poll: Gov. Sanders has 48%-39% job approval

The 2023 Arkansas Poll, conducted by the University of Arkansas’ political science department for the last 25 years, shows first-year Republican Gov. Sarah Sanders with a 48%-39% job approval rating. The rating means 48% approve and 39% don’t approve her job performance.

The poll, released Monday (Oct. 30), surveyed 801 adult Arkansans, including 658 “very likely voters.” The poll was conducted Oct. 4-22 and has a margin of error of 3.5%.

Thirteen percent of respondents did not have an opinion on Sanders’ job performance. For comparison, the last two governors had higher first year job approval ratings. Former Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican, had a 57%-18% job approval rating in his first year, while former Gov. Mike Beebe, a Democrat, had a 70%-9% job approval in his first year.

U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., had a job approval rating of 40%-38% with 22% undecided. U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., had a job performance rating of 42% supporting his efforts to 44% oppose. Fourteen percent had no opinion. (An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported Cotton’s job approval rating.)

Democratic incumbent President Joe Biden remains deeply unpopular in Arkansas. His job approval rating stood at 33% approve and 63% disapprove with just 4% undecided.

The Arkansas Legislature, dominated by GOP supermajorities, had a job approval rating of 43%-39% with 18% undecided.

Among poll respondents, 61% said Arkansas is heading in the right direction with 33% saying the state is heading in the wrong direction. That said, only 18% said they are better off financially than a year ago, while 36% said they are worse off. Forty-five percent said their financial condition was about the same as a year ago.

The poll respondents identified by party affiliation as 33% Republican, 25% Democrat, 34% Independent, 5% other and 3% refused.

You can access the poll results at this link.