Poll: Inslee’s approval ratings at 40 percent

SEATTLE — A recent poll shows that voters were underwhelmed by Gov. Jay Inslee during his first six months in office.

The survey by pollster Stuart Elway found that 49 percent of voters surveyed rated Inslee’s job performance “only fair” or “poor” compared to 40 percent who said he was doing a “good” or “excellent” job. Eleven percent who said they were undecided or didn’t know.

When asked specifically to rate the governor’s leadership during the contentious legislative session that ended June 29 after two overtime sessions, only 35 percent gave Inslee positive marks, while 53 percent had a negative view. Inslee’s numbers were close to those of his predecessor, Chris Gregoire, who had a 43 percent approval rating in Elway’s poll in 2005, The Seattle Times reported Tuesday.

The poll of 406 registered voters, conducted last week, has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percent.