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

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