Actions have consequences, and in politics a positive or negative impact shows up in poll numbers.
For Gov. Rick Snyder, the consequences of an abrupt December reversal on labor legislation appear to be a slippage in public support, according to survey results released Tuesday evening.
The poll by EPIC-MRA of Lansing -- released to the Free Press and WXYZ-TV -- found that 61% of Michigan voters surveyed from Feb. 5-10 gave Snyder a negative job rating, while 36% gave him a positive rating.
Those numbers contrast sharply with the same firm’s most recent previous poll, conducted at the end of November, when 51% gave Snyder a positive job rating, and 48% gave him a negative rating.
Between the pair of statewide telephone polls, Snyder did an about-face and backed the speedy passage of right-to-work legislation.
Paul Egan of the Freep's Lansing bureau summarizes other findings of the new survey:
Snyder’s favorability numbers also dropped -- to 42% favorable and 46% unfavorable in the recent poll, from 55% favorable and 32% unfavorable at the end of November.
The live-operator poll of 600 likely voters has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Egan quotes an aide to the governor as saying the results are "just a small snapshot in time." Public sentiment changes "when you take on big, controversial issues," she added.
