Quinn Not Worried About Low Approval Rating
CHICAGO (WBBM) -- Gov. Pat Quinn said Friday that he is not dismayed about a new poll that shows most Illinois residents don't approve of the job he's doing.
The poll by Southern Illinois University's Paul Simon Public Policy Institute also showed the governor's approval rating stands at only 35.5 percent.
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As WBBM Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports, the governor pointed out he's faced low popularity ratings before. He pointed out that his approval ratings were even lower last year, just before he won the election.
"I won because people believe that – I think – I'm honest, I do a good job, I work hard for the common good, the public interest. And you need a governor like that," Quinn said. "We've had two governors before me who didn't do it that way and they got in bad trouble. And so I'd rather do it right and do it … whatever the cost may be. The poll on election day is the one I won a year ago and that's the best one."
The SIU poll also showed that only 14.9 percent of those polled believe Illinois is headed in the right direction.
Quinn took over the governor's office in 2009 when Rod Blagojevich was impeached and removed from office. Quinn won a four-year term in the November 2010 election.
Blagojevich has since been convicted of 18 corruption charges and his predecessor, George Ryan, is serving a prison sentence for his own corruption convictions.
Quinn inherited a massive budget deficit when he became governor and the state has continued to struggle under severe financial problems during his time in office.
Quinn is the guest on this weekend's "At Issue" program and discusses a number of topics. The program airs at 9:30 p.m. on Sunday on WBBM Newsradio 780 and 105.9 FM.
