Nashville Mayor's Approval Drops, But Still High: Poll

NASHVILLE, TN -- Despite her admission of an affair, Metro Mayor Megan Barry's approval rating is still 61 percent, according to a soon-to-be-released poll from Vanderbilt University's Center for Democratic Institutions.

The poll of 800 Davidson County residents found Barry's approval rating at 61 percent, an 11 point drop from 2017, but still very high. The poll was taken between Feb. 8 and 19, following Barry's admission of a years-long affair with her now-former security chief Rob Forrest but before the release of an affidavit alleging Forrest had nude photos on his Metro-issued cell phone and the resultant fallout of that revelation.

“These data indicate strong public support for Mayor Barry, despite the recent revelations,” said John Geer, the Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of Political Science. “Everyone should have expected a drop from 72 percent last year, given the controversial issues she has tackled, such as transit and the proposed changes for Nashville General. Any elected official would be very happy with a 61 percent approval rating, and there is little reason to believe the most recent news about photos and text messages would change the underlying support Nashvillians have for the mayor.”

Barry's disapproval rating more than doubled from 16 percent in 2017 to 33 percent.

The full poll results - which includes questions about transit and the future of Nashville General Hospital - is set to be released Sunday, March 4.

"Because of the public attention and controversy surrounding Mayor Barry’s recent revelation of an extramarital affair with a member of her security team, this year’s poll included questions about how much the mayor’s personal life impacted their view of her performance. For purposes of comparison, the poll also asked the same question about President Trump," the center said in a release.

The poll found 59 percent of Nashvillians believe the mayor's personal life has little or no impact on their perception of her job performance. The same percentage, however, said the president's personal life had a big or moderate impact. The center said Democrats - by far the majority of Davidson Countians - and independents were more likely to look past Barry's behavior and Republicans were slightly more forgiving of Trump.

“Party is one reason,” Josh Clinton, the Abby and Jon Winkelreid Professor of Political Sciencem said. “But it also may be the different roles the mayor and president play in public life. The president stands for the entire country and represents all of us. Nobody thinks they are defined by their mayor the way they are defined by the president. The president has always been a more aspirational role than a mayor and that may affect how we evaluate their conduct.”

Barry's approval drop was fairly consistent across party lines.

The poll found her approval rating is 77 percent among Democrats, down from 87 percent last year. Among independents, she’s at 61 percent, compared to 66 percent last year. Among Republicans she’s at 45 percent, compared to 56 percent last year.

Photo via Office of the Mayor