The state official who more Iowans think is performing their job well isn't the governor or attorney general — it’s Auditor of State Rob Sand, the sole Democrat holding statewide elected office, a new Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll shows.
Fifty-five percent of Iowans approve of the job that Sand is doing as auditor, compared with 15% who disapprove. Another 31% say they aren’t sure.
This is the first time the Iowa Poll has asked about Sand’s job performance. He was first elected in 2018 and is often discussed as a possible candidate for governor.
The poll of 804 Iowa adults was conducted by Selzer & Co. Feb. 25-28 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
Other state government leaders, including Gov. Kim Reynolds, Attorney General Brenna Bird, and the Republican-led Iowa Legislature, also poll more positively than negatively on job approval, but they trail Sand.
For Reynolds, 49% of respondents approve of her performance, compared with 48% who disapprove, her slimmest approval margin in the Iowa Poll since March 2021, when she was 1 point underwater.
Bird, who recently marked her first year in office, has 40% approval to 28% disapproval, with 32% not sure, the poll found.
But her disapproval rate jumped 8 percentage points from March 2023, when she was at 20%, while her approval rating grew only 4 points from 36%. Thirty-two percent had no opinion.
The Iowa Legislature, where Republicans have controlled both houses since 2017, has a 47% approval rating, little changed from previous Iowa Polls since 2021. But 39% of Iowans disapprove of the Legislature’s performance, the highest figure since at least 2003.
The poll also found that 44% of Iowans believe the state is going in the right direction, compared with 50% who think it’s on the wrong track.
Fifty-five percent of Iowans approve of the job that Sand is doing as auditor, compared with 15% who disapprove. Another 31% say they aren’t sure.
This is the first time the Iowa Poll has asked about Sand’s job performance. He was first elected in 2018 and is often discussed as a possible candidate for governor.
The poll of 804 Iowa adults was conducted by Selzer & Co. Feb. 25-28 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
Other state government leaders, including Gov. Kim Reynolds, Attorney General Brenna Bird, and the Republican-led Iowa Legislature, also poll more positively than negatively on job approval, but they trail Sand.
For Reynolds, 49% of respondents approve of her performance, compared with 48% who disapprove, her slimmest approval margin in the Iowa Poll since March 2021, when she was 1 point underwater.
Bird, who recently marked her first year in office, has 40% approval to 28% disapproval, with 32% not sure, the poll found.
But her disapproval rate jumped 8 percentage points from March 2023, when she was at 20%, while her approval rating grew only 4 points from 36%. Thirty-two percent had no opinion.
The Iowa Legislature, where Republicans have controlled both houses since 2017, has a 47% approval rating, little changed from previous Iowa Polls since 2021. But 39% of Iowans disapprove of the Legislature’s performance, the highest figure since at least 2003.
The poll also found that 44% of Iowans believe the state is going in the right direction, compared with 50% who think it’s on the wrong track.
More Iowans approve of this state official's job performance than they do the governor's
A larger share of Iowans approve of state Auditor Rob Sand’s job performance than of Gov. Kim Reynolds, Attorney General Brenna Bird or the Legislature
www.press-citizen.com
