Paul Egan

Detroit Free Press

LANSING -- Gov. Rick Snyder's popularity and job approval numbers have plummeted as a result of the Flint drinking water catastrophe, with 69% of those surveyed saying the Republican governor has handled the crisis poorly.

Though the intensity varies depending on party affiliation, giving Snyder poor marks on Flint is something Michigan voters agree on whether they are Republicans, Democrats or Independents, said Bernie Porn, president of EPIC-MRA of Lansing, which conducted the poll. It's the first statewide poll to show how the Flint crisis has affected Snyder's approval ratings.

"Snyder took a hit because of the Flint water crisis," Porn told the Free Press Wednesday.

Overall, when more than just the Flint drinking water issue is considered, only 39% say Snyder is doing a good job as governor and 58% say he is doing a poor job, according to the poll of 600 likely voters, made available exclusively to the Free Press, WXYZ-TV (Channel 7), and statewide media partners.

The last time EPIC-MRA asked voters about Snyder's performance, in August, 45% said they thought Snyder was doing a good job.

The poll, which included 30% cell phone users, has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Narrowly, more voters now have an unfavorable impression of Snyder than a favorable one, 45% to 44%. In an October EPIC-MRA poll, 49% viewed Snyder favorably and 40% had an unfavorable impression of him.

"We understand that people are angry," said Snyder spokesman Dave Murray. "This crisis was the result of a failure of government at all levels — state, local and federal. Gov. Snyder now is focused on addressing the problems and making sure that the people of Flint get the help they need now and into the future."

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The good news for Snyder is that only 29% of those surveyed said he should resign from office, while 61% said he should remain. The other 10% were undecided, or refused to say.

Whether that number goes up or down likely depends on the results of ongoing investigations into how the public health crisis happened, Porn said.

June Weaver, a Northville homemaker, said she thinks Snyder is doing a great job.

"Enough with the witch hunt and let's help heal Flint, our state and our country," Weaver said Wednesday.

But Val Janowski, a retired grant writer in suburban Grand Rapids, said Snyder should resign or be removed from office over the Flint water crisis.

"I think he's definitely responsible for what happened, and I think he's dragging his feet horrendously in responding," Janowski said.

Though Snyder's numbers are down, they have not hit a record low: That happened soon after Snyder did an about-face on the right-to-work issue in December 2012 and signed bills into law making it illegal to require financial support of a union as a condition of employment. Back then, those who felt he was doing a poor job as governor climbed as high as 61%, compared to 58% in the latest poll, Porn said.

And, of course, Snyder is term-limited so he doesn't face re-election in 2018.

Of the voters who participated in the survey, 40% described themselves as Democrats and 19% as Independents. The partisan breakdown of the October sample was almost identical.

Partisan affiliation did influence how Snyder's handling of the Flint drinking water crisis was perceived: Democrats said he was handling it poorly, 87% to 6%. Of Independents surveyed, 25% said Snyder was doing a good job handling Flint, while 69% said he was doing a poor job. And of the Republicans surveyed, 37% said Snyder was doing a good job and 49% said he was handling the crisis poorly.

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When it came to whether voters have a favorable or unfavorable impression of Snyder, Republicans still approve of Snyder, 75% to 15%. Independents, who were critical of Snyder winning a second four-year term in 2014, now disapprove of Snyder, 52% to 40%. Democrats have an unfavorable impression of Snyder, 68% to 19%.

Snyder is doing much better among men, who view him favorably 50% to 40%, than among women, who have an unfavorable view of Snyder, 50% to 39%.

The governor also is doing much better among whites, who view him favorably 48% to 42%, than among blacks, who have an unfavorable view of Snyder, 65% to 16%.

Flint drinking water became contaminated with lead in April 2014 after the city, while under the control of a state-appointed emergency manager, temporarily switched its source from Lake Huron water treated by the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department to water from the Flint River, treated at the Flint water treatment plant.

DEQ Director Dan Wyant resigned in December after acknowledging the DEQ failed to require the addition of needed corrosion-control chemicals to the corrosive Flint River water. As a result, lead leached from pipes, joints and fixtures, contaminating the drinking water for an unknown number of Flint households. Lead causes permanent brain damage in children, as well as other health problems.

For months, state officials downplayed reports of lead in the water and a spike in the lead levels in the blood of Flint children, before acknowledging a problem Oct. 1. Since then, Snyder has faced repeated questions about when he first knew there was too much lead in Flint's drinking water.

Brandon Dillon, chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party, criticized Snyder for using corporate donations to his nonprofit corporations to hire public relations experts, instead of focusing more on fixing Flint's water problems.

“The people of Michigan have witnessed Gov. Snyder’s incompetent and negligent handling of the Flint water crisis, along with his penchant for operating under a shroud of secrecy, and they’re growing more tired of it by the day,” Dillon said in a news release.

Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @paulegan4.