Latest news with #UniversityofNewHampshireSurveyCenter
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Will Jared Golden or Paul LePage win Maine congressional race? New poll gives early look
An early look at the race for Maine's Second Congressional District found that current Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine and Republican former Maine Gov. Paul LePage are statistically tied, but that LePage is more popular. Both LePage and Golden announced their intention to run for the seat in May. The election will be in the fall of 2026. If Golden wins again, it will be the fifth time that the Democrat has won the same district that voted for President Donald Trump the past three presidential elections. However, a poll from the University of New Hampshire Survey Center released June 26 found that 50% of Maine Second District residents said they would vote for LePage if the election was held today and 47% said they would vote Golden. LePage is also more popular, with 43% saying they have a favorable view of him compared with 21% for Golden. This is largely driven by Golden's lack of popularity with Democrats, of whom only 31% say they have a favorable opinion, 40% are neutral, and 20% have an unfavorable opinion. In comparison, 81% of Republicans say they have a favorable opinion of LePage. This may have to do with Golden's status as a 'blue dog Democrat:' he has historically been a strong supporter of gun rights and often distances himself from the national party. In 2024, he angered Democrats for refusing to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for president and saying he would be 'OK' with Trump winning. The election is expected to be very close, as many of Golden's past elections have been in the Second District. The poll was based on the results of 846 online surveys completed between June 19 and 23. It has a margin of error of +/-3.4%. Per the poll, 55% of Maine residents approve of Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills' handling of her job, a sharp uptick from February, when less Mainers approved of Mills (48%) than disapproved (49%). Mills gained national attention for pushing back on Trump's executive order banning transgender athletes from school sports teams, and that action is reflected in the poll. Of those who approve of her handling of her job, 50% say it is because of her opposition to Trump. Of those who disapprove, 37% cite her handling of LGBTQ+ issues and 35% say her handling of the budget or finances. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, has said she is planning to run for a sixth term in 2026. However, she is unpopular in the state, with 57% of Mainers saying they have an unfavorable opinion of her, including 79% of Democrats, 60% of Independents and 29% of Republicans. Just 29% of Republicans find her favorable, and just 14% do overall. Mills has not said whether she is planning to run for Senate, but some have floated her name as a challenger to Collins. The poll found she is more popular, with 51% finding her favorable and 41% unfavorable. But the party divide is deep: 90% of Democrat said they have a favorable opinion of her while 91% of Republicans say they have an unfavorable opinion. This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: New poll: Early look at race for Congress in Maine's Trump-leaning district
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Do NH residents support Gov. Kelly Ayotte, ICE laws, economy? See what new polls say
About half of New Hampshire residents approve of Gov. Kelly Ayotte's handling of her job, although her approval has declined slightly over the past few months, according to a new poll from the University of New Hampshire Survey Center released in late May. As of the May 29 poll, 49% of Granite staters approve of Ayotte, while 41% disapprove. In February, 52% approved and 34% disapproved. The poll found that housing remains the most important issue in the state, followed by taxes, education and rightist politicians. Democrats are more likely to mention the political right, Independents are more likely to mention housing, and Republicans are more likely to mention taxes as their top issue. The poll also looked at what New Hampshire residents think of legislation in the state, such as banning cell phones in schools and anti-sanctuary city laws. The poll surveyed 1,343 New Hampshire residents online between May 22 and May 26. It has a margin of error of +/- 2.7%. In May, Ayotte signed two bills into law that ban 'sanctuary cities' in New Hampshire and promote cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. According to the poll, Granite Staters are divided on these partnerships: 47% support state law enforcement agencies to enter into agreements with ICE while 50% oppose. Support is split by party, as 93% of Democrats oppose the agreements, while 93% of Republicans support them. 58% of Independents oppose. Ayotte has encouraged legislation on banning students from having cell phones in class, with some exceptions. According to the poll, 69% of Granite Staters support this policy, with majorities in each party. Democrats are the least likely to support a ban, with 57% supporting it compared to 77% of Independents and 78% of Republicans. But New Hampshire residents are divided on another couple of state issues, like new car inspection and zoning policies. The New Hampshire legislature has been considering changes to the current requirement that all cars be inspected every year. According to the poll, 27% of residents would like to keep this policy, 26% would like to eliminate this requirement, and 25% would like to change the requirement to every two years. The legislature is also considering several bills that would require towns and cities to loosen zoning policies to make it easier to build new homes. Overall, 38% of Granite Staters support this, while 40% oppose. UNH Survey Center released another new poll on May 30 that found that New Hampshire residents are increasingly pessimistic about the direction of the U.S. economy. In that poll, 40% of Granite staters expect they will be worse off a year from now, while 33% think they will be better off. That's down from February, when 42% expected to be better off in a year. People who think they will be worse off in a year cite higher prices or increasing inflation and believe the president or government will handle the economy poorly. 59% of state residents expect tariffs to have a negative effect on the U.S. economy, up from 53% in February and 56% in April. 'While key indicators continue to show the New Hampshire economy is relatively strong and stable, consumer confidence is weakening somewhat,' said Michael Skelton, president and CEO of the Business & Industry Association, in the poll. 'Factors such as economic uncertainty and concern about the impact of tariffs and inflation are weighing on the minds of consumers and employers and the decisions they make that drive the economy.' This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: What is Gov. Kelly Ayotte's approval rating? See new NH poll stats
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
New poll: Who should win, Scott Brown or Chris Pappas? Does Ayotte deserve re-election?
Neither candidate in the race to replace U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH is very popular, reveals a new poll from the University of New Hampshire Survey Center released June 26. On June 25, former Massachusetts U.S. Sen. Scott Brown announced his intent to run against U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, D-NH, in the race for New Hampshire's open Senate seat in 2026. But a new poll shows that New Hampshire residents don't find either candidate very favorable. New Hampshire residents are divided on four-term Rep. Pappas, with 36% finding him favorable and 36% unfavorable. 70% of Democrats have a favorable opinion of him, but 40% of Independents and 66% of Republicans have an unfavorable opinion of him. But Brown is less popular than Pappas, with 38% of New Hampshire residents finding him unfavorable and just 12% finding him favorable, including just 24% of Republicans. 30% don't know enough about him to say. The poll also looked at approval for Gov. Kelly Ayotte, her re-election, and the two Congressional races in 2026. It was based on the results of 1,320 surveys completed online from June 19 to June 23, 2025, with a margin of error of 2.7%. Per the poll, 53% of New Hampshire residents approve of Ayotte, up from 49% in May. Those who approve of her handling of her job most often cite her handling of education (25%), immigration (17%) or the state budget (10%). Those who disapprove also most often cite her handling of education (32%) and the state budget (11%). Ayotte recently passed universal Education Freedom Accounts in New Hampshire into law, and is soon to pass the new state budget. 22% say they disapprove because they because they believe she supports President Donald Trump. New Hampshire residents are divided on whether Ayotte deserves re-election, though, with 40% saying she does and 38% saying she doesn't. It's split by party, with 77% of Republicans and 32% of Independents saying she deserves re-election, while 72% of Democrats and 41% of Independents say she doesn't. However, the other current possible contenders, Democrat Tom Sherman (the 2022 Democratic nominee for governor) and Independent Jon Kiper (who lost the Democratic primary in 2024), are both not well known in the state. Since Pappas is running for Senate in 2026, his seat representing New Hampshire's Second Congressional District is open. So far, three candidates have declared their candidacy: former Portsmouth city councilor Stefany Shaheen, former Obama administration official Maura Sullivan, and Hampton selectwoman Carleigh Beriont. Shaheen, who is Jeanne Shaheen's daughter, is the most well-known out of the three candidates, but 32% have an unfavorable opinion about her. 17% have a favorable opinion and 35% don't know enough about her to say. Both Sullivan and Beriont are largely unknown in the First Congressional District, with 59% and 80% respectively saying they don't know enough about them to say their opinion. First-term Rep. Maggie Goodlander, D-NH, has announced her intention to run for re-election in 2026, where she may face off again against Lily Tang Williams, who was the Republican nominee for this seat last year. The two have about the same level of popularity in the district. 32% of Second District residents think Goodlander should be re-elected, 38% do not and 31% don't know or have no opinion. This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Should Scott Brown or Chris Pappas win NH Senate? New poll says this
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Should I buy a home or have a baby amid tariffs? MA residents say no, says new poll
Should you choose now to buy a home, have a child or look for a new job? Massachusetts residents say no, according to a new poll from the University of New Hampshire Survey Center released Friday. The poll found that Massachusetts residents are very pessimistic about the U.S. economy and about making expensive life decisions. Based on the recent poll ,64%, including a majority of Democrats, Republicans and Independents, think it's a bad time to buy a home. Majorities also think it's a bad time to buy a car (54%) or have a child (51%). Few think it's a good time to buy a major household item (17%) or look for a new job (19%). The only action surveyed that Bay Staters are less pessimistic about is investing in the stock market: 27% think it's a good time to do so (with Republicans more likely to say so), 34% say it's a bad time and 39% are neutral. The poll also looked at how Massachusetts's residents feel about their current finances, their expectations for the economy in the coming year and their thoughts on tariffs. The Bay State Poll surveyed 907 Massachusetts residents online between May 22 and May 26. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.3%. Currently, 38% of Massachusetts residents say they are worse off financially than a year ago. 46% say they are about the same, and 16% say they are better off. When looking ahead, 46% say they expect to be worse off a year from now, compared to 27% who expect to be the same or better off. Those who expect to be worse off cite higher prices, increasing inflation, and a government who they expect will handle the economy poorly. More than half (55%) also expect the U.S. economy to experience bad times in the next year, and 68% think tariffs will hurt the U.S. economy. That includes 97% of Democrats, 72% of Independents and 17% of Republicans. 75% of Republicans expect tariffs to have a positive impact on the U.S. economy. This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Should I buy a home right now? New poll shows MA residents say no
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New poll: MA residents support Harvard in Trump fight but unsure on governor's re-election
Six in ten Massachusetts residents support Harvard University in its fight with President Donald Trump, revealed a new poll from the University of New Hampshire Survey Center. In April, Harvard rejected a list of policy demands from the Trump administration, setting up a showdown between the university and the administration. Since then, the fight has escalated as Trump has threatened to take away Harvard's nonprofit status, freeze over $3 billion in federal grant dollars, bar the university from enrolling foreign students and increase taxes on university endowments. Per the poll, 60% of Massachusetts residents disapprove of the Trump administration's threats to cut federal spending at Harvard, including 88% of Democrats and 66% of Independents. 89% of Republicans approve of the threats. Bay Staters largely disapprove of Trump's performance overall and other policies as well. 65% disapprove of Trump's performance, 66% disapprove of his handling of the economy and 62% disapprove of his handling of foreign affairs. More: What is President Donald Trump's approval rating amid pardons, clash with Harvard 65% think it's inappropriate for Trump to receive a luxury jet from Qatar, and 56% think the United States is not supporting Ukraine enough in the war with Russia. The poll also looked at what Massachusetts residents think of Gov. Maura Healey and Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass. Healey has a slight positive approval rating in Massachusetts of +4. But it's down from +11 in March, and Bay Staters are split on whether the first term governor deserves another. Healey has announced she will seek a second four-year term in 2026, but only 37% of Massachusetts residents say she deserves re-election, while 40% think she doesn't deserve re-election. 23% are unsure. Per the poll, 60% of Democrats believe she should be re-elected, but only 32% of Independents and 4% of Republicans agree. Markey has also said that he will seek a third term in the U.S. Senate in 2026, but only 33% of Massachusetts residents (including 54% of Democrats) say he should be re-elected. Markey will be 80 years old when the 2026 election takes place, and 55% of respondents say they are somewhat or very concerned about his age. 71% of those that don't think Markey should be re-elected felt that way. This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: What's Trump's approval rating in MA? See stats amid Harvard fight
