By MARY SELL and TODD STACY, Alabama Daily News
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Gov. Kay Ivey has a high approval rating and a commanding lead in her run for reelection, but she would be in a runoff with her Republican rivals if the election was held today, according to a new Cygnal poll of likely Republican voters.
Asked what they thought of the job Ivey is doing, 67.2% of the GOP respondents said they approved while 24.4% disapproved. Likewise, 70.1% said they had a favorable opinion of Ivey, compared to just 27.6% who had an unfavorable opinion.
Yet, Ivey’s general favorability did not translate into a sure fire win on the poll’s ballot test. Asked who they would support if the May 24 primary election were today, 40% said Ivey. Meanwhile, 17.9% said businessman Tim James and 14.6% said former U.S. Ambassador Lindy Blanchard.
A similar poll in March showed Ivey with 46.1%, followed by James, 12.4%, and Blanchard, 10.4%.
The governor would have to win above 50% in order to avoid a runoff with the second place finisher.
If the Republican primary election for Governor were held today, and you had to make a choice, who would you vote for?
| Candidate | May 2022 | March 2022 | August 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kay Ivey | 40.0% | 46.1% | 41.5% |
| Tim James | 17.9% | 12.4% | 3.5% |
| Lindy Blanchard | 14.6% | 10.4% | - |
| Lew Burdette | 5.8% | 1.6% | - |
| Dean Odle | 3.6% | 4.7% | 3.1% |
| Dean Young | 0.6% | - | - |
| Someone else | 3.5% | 3.4% | 9.2% |
| Undecided | 13.8% | 21.3% | 33.9% |
Do you approve or disapprove of the way Kay Ivey is handling her job as Governor?
| Response | % |
|---|---|
| Strongly approve | 29.3% |
| Somewhat approve | 37.9% |
| Total approve | 67.2% |
| Somewhat disapprove | 13.8% |
| Strongly disapprove | 10.6% |
| Total disapprove | 24.4 |
| Unsure | 0.7% |
| Neither approve or disapprove | 7.8% |
The following is a list of names of various people who may have been mentioned in the news recently. For each one, please indicate if you have heard of the person, and if you have, whether you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of them. If you haven’t heard of a name, choose so.
| Candidate | Fav | Unfav | No Opinion | Never heard of | NET Fav |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donald Trump | 78.8% | 19.4% | 1.5% | 0.3% | 59.5% |
| Kay Ivey | 70.1% | 27.6% | 2.0% | 0.3% | 42.5% |
| Katie Britt | 50.7 | 36.0% | 11.6% | 1.7% | +14.7% |
| Mike Durant | 45.6% | 37.0% | 13.0% | 4.4% | +8.5% |
| Mo Brooks | 42.1% | 47.5% | 9.3% | 1.2% | -5.4% |
The recent poll was conducted by Cygnal on behalf of Alabama Daily News and Gray Television. It surveyed 600 likely republican primary voters May 6-7 and has a margin for error of +/- 3.99%.
Blanchard and James have spent $8.8 million and $4 million, respectively, in their bids to unseat Ivey, according to the latest campaign finance information from the Alabama Secretary of State. Ivey has spent about $7.3 million and has the most cash on hand, nearly $817,000, in the final weeks of the race.
Asked about what should be the top priority of state leaders, 29.3% said fighting inflation and reducing the cost of living.
Stopping illegal immigration and securing the border for the No. 2 answer at 15.3%. Fourteen percent said creating jobs and rebuilding the economy.