Gov. Ned Lamont faces reality of leading as disputes over tolls, state spending and taxing the

[TexasTowelie]

Gov. Ned Lamont faces reality of leading as disputes over tolls, state spending and taxing the wealthy dominate legislative session


The optimism of a reboot by Gov. Ned Lamont is waning for the new Democratic governor, in the midst of a divisive dispute over electronic tolls, a row over who can decide how much the state borrows, his resistance to raising taxes on millionaires and his cabinet picks.

Lamont is the fifth-most unpopular governor in the nation and the least popular first-term governor, according to a Morning Consult poll released last week, which gave the Greenwich telecommunications magnate a 33 percent approval rating and a 38 percent disapproval rating. Twenty-nine percent of respondents didn’t know enough to form an opinion about Lamont, who ran unsuccessfully twice before for statewide office.

That’s the kind of wrath usually reserved for well-established incumbents such as Lamont’s predecessor and fellow Democrat Dannel P. Malloy, who left office in January with an approval in the 20s.

But in contrast to the former two-term governor, who bristled at his popularity metrics, those who know Lamont best say that he’s not impervious to the criticism and wants to be liked.

Read more: https://www.courant.com/politics/hc-pol-lamont-unpopular-gov-20190512-5i4jsldrffe2zkdtnkysc4r2ra-story.html