The vast majority of Ohioans approve of the way Gov. Mike DeWine is handling the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new poll released as the governor gets ready on Monday to announce measures for reopening businesses.
Some 85 percent of respondents view Mr. DeWine’s leadership on the virus favorably, while 50 percent feel the same about President Trump. The governor’s margin improved by five points from another poll conducted in late March.
The Great Lakes Poll by Baldwin Wallace University, in partnership with Ohio Northern University and Oakland University in Michigan, surveyed 797 Ohioans online between April 20 and April 25, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 points.
Many Americans have given their governors high marks on their overall response to the pandemic, including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. For some, their approval is far higher than pre-pandemic levels.
Since early March, governors have assumed a forward-facing role instituting stay-at-home orders, coordinating hospital response, and procuring testing supplies. In Ohio, Mr. DeWine established one of the nation’s first stay-at-home orders, which health experts credit with flattening the curve of coronavirus infections. Ohio reported 376 new coronavirus infections on Sunday, the lowest day-over-day increase since April 14.
On Monday, Mr. DeWine is expected to announce initial measures for a phased reopening of Ohio’s economy, which will begin May 1.
About 52 percent of poll respondents agree with the timeline. Around the same percentage feel it’s too soon to open restaurants, hair and nail salons, and places of worship, bolstering the argument by some that protesters calling for businesses to reopen before health experts deem it safe represent a small minority of residents.
Nearly 70 percent of those polled said they disagreed with the protesters. Mr. DeWine and other leaders have roundly condemned instances of anti-Semitism at the demonstrations.
“Despite protests over Governor DeWine's restrictions, a large majority of Ohioans support his policies and are worried about going back to business as usual too soon,” said Robert Alexander, a political science professor at Ohio Northern.
Nearly 80 percent of respondents feel Mr. DeWine took action at the appropriate time in the pandemic, while only 6 percent believe he acted too quickly.
When it comes to Mr. Trump, 52 percent believe he waited too long to act, and 38 percent said he responded at the right time.
Compared to one another, 75 percent of those surveyed prefer Mr. DeWine’s handling of the pandemic to Mr. Trump’s.
Still, those findings don’t mean Mr. Trump doesn’t have support in Ohio come November.
Mr. Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden are statistically tied in a head-to-head matchup, with Mr. Biden at 45 percent and Mr. Trump at 44 percent. Earlier polls showed Mr. Biden with a small lead.
Ohio Democrats favor Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and California Sen. Kamala Harris as Mr. Biden’s running mates.
Overall, 25 percent of voters said Mr. Trump’s handling of the pandemic — including 20 percent of self-identified independent voters — makes them more likely to vote for him in November, while 34 percent said it makes them less likely to support him, and 36 percent said it makes no difference.
First Published April 27, 2020, 11:00 a.m.
