Indiana Gov. Mike Pence is statistically tied with his Democratic opponent in a new poll of the Indiana governor’s race.
Pence, once thought to be a dark horse for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016, looks poised to become one of the most vulnerable Republican governors in November’s elections.
Pence leads Democratic challenger John Gregg by four percentage points, 40-36, which falls within the poll’s four-percentage-point margin of error. Christine Matthews of Bellwether Research conducted the poll for the Enterprise Republicans PAC. The survey’s results are consistent with a WTHR/Howey poll released before Indiana’s primaries that showed Pence with a narrow advantage.
The new poll is the first since Indiana’s primaries, and it shows the race as tight as can be. Voters reportedly trust Pence more when it comes to managing the Hoosier state’s budget and attracting jobs, but prefer Gregg to better improve education and represent Indiana well nationally.
Pence’s job approval numbers have not improved since last year’s polling, the Indianapolis Star noted, when the governor’s handling of his state’s Religious Freedom and Restoration Act caused controversy. He rankled some voters again when he decided to endorse Ted Cruz’s presidential bid in a manner that was panned by Republicans as insincere. He later backed Donald Trump after the Texas senator quit the 2016 race.
Gregg ran against Pence in the 2012 governor’s race and lost by approximately three percentage points, in a closer-than-expected loss. In 2016, Pence performs far worse than other Republicans running for statewide office. Trump leads likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton by nine percentage points in Indiana, 40-31. Congressman Todd Young, who’s running to replace Republican Sen. Dan Coats, leads his Democratic opponent by 17 percentage points, 39-22.
The Bellwether poll surveyed 600 registered voters in Indiana from May 11-15.
