A few things jump out from the results of the AFL-CIO’s post-election poll in Ohio (conducted by Hart Research Associates).
- Gov. John Kasich’s lousy polling isn’t just something people are telling pollsters without acting on—26 percent of people who voted for Kasich just a year ago reported voting against Issue 2, his signature legislation, Tuesday. Of that 26 percent, 62 percent currently disapprove of Kasich’s performance.
- People really do favor collective bargaining rights; 66 percent said they support collective bargaining for public employees.
- Opposition to Issue 2 has implications moving forward. About half of Ohio voters said they were less likely to vote for Mitt Romney (49 percent) or Rick Perry (51 percent) due to their support for Issue 2.
- Similarly, looking to implications within the state, 60 percent said they opposed the legislature and Kasich trying to pass similar legislation again (presumably in a slightly more sneaky way), and 56 percent said they would be less likely to vote for a state legislator who did vote to pass similar legislation in the future.
So basically, the message Ohio voters sent on Tuesday was this: We like collective bargaining rights. Try to take them away, and we will notice and we will hold it against you. Really. No, really, you need to take us seriously on this one.
This blog originally appeared in Daily Kos Labor on November 9, 2011. Reprinted with permission.
About the Author: Laura Clawson is labor editor at Daily Kos. She has a PhD in sociology from Princeton University and has taught at Dartmouth College. From 2008 to 2011, she was senior writer at Working America, the community affiliate of the AFL-CIO.
