Gov. Kay Ivey currently occupies her strongest position among Alabama Republicans since taking over the governor’s office, according to a recent poll.
A summary of polling data obtained by Yellowhammer News shows Ivey receiving a lofty 86% favorability rating among likely Republican primary voters.
Ivey became Alabama’s 54th governor in 2017 when she was sworn into office following the resignation of former Governor Robert Bentley.
Her favorability rating now exceeds that which she enjoyed heading into her 2018 primary, an election she easily won and without a runoff despite a crowded field.
The Wilcox County native has had her foot on the accelerator since she announced in the first week of June that she was seeking reelection.
Her fundraising took off immediately, and she now has more than $1.3 million in campaign funds on-hand.
And she has released a series of ads touting her conservative record while in office.
During Ivey’s tenure, Alabama has consistently kept the lowest unemployment numbers in the Southeast, and those figures have returned to pre-pandemic levels.
Her economic record has been one aspect of her tenure she has highlighted with her early ads, saying, “It’s important to keep our jobs open and keep our people working.”
In addition, Ivey has been outspoken about her conservative views on social issues. In the face of criticism from the left, she released a video stating her position on transgender athletes, explaining, “Here in Alabama, boys play boys’ sports and girls play girls’ sports.”
Ivey’s strategy seems to be working as her heightened popularity extends throughout the Yellowhammer State and across conservative sectors of the electorate, according to the survey.
She has an 80% or higher favorability rating in every region and media market. In addition, her favorability exceeds 80% among men and women and among voters of all age groups.
Republican primary voters who identify themselves as “extremely conservative” give Ivey an 83% favorable rating, and she receives an 86% favorable rating among Donald Trump supporters.
Her job approval largely mirrors those percentages among similar groups. She gains an 82% job approval among very conservative voters, and she has a 78% job approval with Trump supporters.
Among voters who identify as strongly pro-life and strongly in support of the Second Amendment, Ivey maintains an 86% favorability rating.
When asked to choose a candidate for governor in a primary ballot test, 69% of voters surveyed indicated they would vote for Ivey when tested against other potential candidates, including Jim Zeigler, Tim James and Lynda Blanchard.
The poll was conducted from June 29 through July 1 through telephone interviews of 600 likely Republican primary voters. The margin for error is +/- 4.1%.
Alabama’s primary election is currently scheduled for May 24, 2022.
Tim Howe is an owner of Yellowhammer Multimedia
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