Quinnipiac University Poll Ties Lower Ratings for McDonnell, Legislature, To Repeal of Gun Rationing

The Richmond Times Dispatch reported this morning that Quinnipiac University has released a poll showing approval ratings for Governor Bob McDonnell and the General Assembly have dropped significantly, and ties the lower rating to the passage and signing of two "controversial" bills including repeal of Virginia's gun rationing law:

“The governor’s numbers are down, from a net positive 34 percentage points last month to a net 21 points today, but he’s still above the 50-percent mark,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. “The controversy over the ultrasound and handgun bills would be a logical explanation for the decline in his approval rating, which had been above 60 percent for much of last year.”

Brown noted that McDonnell is still above 50 percent.  President Obama would probably love to have that 53% rating right now.  And Congress would probably love to have the 38% approval rating that the General Assembly is receiving in the poll.  Brown stated that until this poll, Virginia had been the only state surveyed by Quinnipiac in which the state legislature had received a net positive job approval.

It is refreshing that elected officials are willing to do what is right rather than worry about how it may affect their polls.  Speaking only of the repeal of gun rationing, there was no proof that the law was effective at anything but inconveniencing law-abiding citizens.  A bi-partisan majority in both houses of the legislature (albeit only two Democrats in the Senate) voted to repeal gun rationing.

If you have not already done so, please be sure to contact Governor McDonnell and thank him for signing the bills repealing Virginia's gun rationing law.