Approval of Governor Rick Perry

Job approval numbers for Governor Perry were quite similar across the three UT polls administered between October 2008 and June 2009. In the latest (October 2009) installation of the poll, however, Perry's approval rating dropped and his disapproval rating increased substantially. As of October 2009, Perry's disappproval rating is higher than his approval rating, and this difference just outside the margin of error.

Approval of President Barack Obama

In February 2009, after one month in office, more Texans approved of President Obama's job performance than disapproved of it. But by June 2009, more Texans disapproved than approved, and the October 2009 results show the same pattern.

Approval of Texas State Legislature

Job approval numbers for the Texas state legislature remain largely unchanged since February 2009, with slightly more disapproving than approving.

Approval of U.S. Congress

Perhaps surprisingly, the October 2009 job performance ratings for the US Congress are not the worst in our time series. Disapproval of the U.S. Congress among Texans was greatest during the apex of the financial crisis in October 2008, at 73%. Disapproval dropped somewhat to 55% in February 2009, but has since been rising gradually.