As his second term approaches an end, Brian Schweitzer continues to be one of the most popular governors in the nation, according to a May 15 poll from Public Policy Polling. Montanans give Schweitzer a 52 percent approval rating and only a 36 percent disapproval rating.
Polling institutions always love to put Schweitzer in hypothetical future matchups as well, no matter how many times he swears that he wants nothing to do with Washington D.C. In the recent PPP poll, Schweitzer again handily beats Sen. Max Baucus (48-37 percent) in a 2014 showdown for Baucus’ U.S. Senate seat.
And while only 26 percent of Montana voters think the governor should run for president in 2016, 42 percent of voters said they would vote for him if does decide to run, compared to only 38 percent for a generic Republican opponent. That scenario, the poll notes, “would give Democrats their first victory in the state in 24 years assuming that Barack Obama does not take Montana this fall.”
The poll also shows that Montana voters believe gay marriage should be illegal by a 48-41 percent margin, an increase in support from last November when the spread was 51-37.