While politicians nationwide are seeing a stark partisan divide in their approval ratings, Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s is sitting high at 67%.
That’s the finding in a new poll from Vanderbilt University, released Friday. O’Connell’s rating took a small hit from last year — just six months into his term, his rating sat at 71%. The poll shows differences along party lines: 83% of Democrats approve of O’Connell, while just 44% of Republicans do.
John Geer, co-director of the Vanderbilt Poll, said O’Connell is doing better across the aisle than most politicians on the national level. Namely, President Donald Trump has an 80-point difference in his approval ratings along party lines nationwide.
“Here in Nashville, people increasingly feel that the city is on the right track. That goes hand in hand with O’Connell’s high approval ratings,” Geer said. “This is good news for the mayor and the city, especially today when you see such staggering polarization between Democrats and Republicans nationally. These numbers mean his leadership is working for both sides of the aisle.”
Respondents also expressed preference for O’Connell over the state legislature, with a majority saying O’Connell is the government official that best represents their wishes. Even among Republicans — who lean toward Republican Gov. Bill Lee over O’Connell — only 23% opted for the legislature as their preferred representation.
The mayor’s high ratings are accompanied by a growing number of Nashvillians who feel the city “is on the right track.” That’s a change from previous years: in 2022 and 2023, more than half of Nashvillians felt the city was headed in the wrong direction. They cited concerns about growth, public education and city-state tensions.
While priorities remain largely the same, those sentiments have since shifted. This year’s poll found that 58% approved of Nashville’s direction, up five percentage points from last year.
Resident priorities
Affordability emerged as a top concern amongst respondents, edging transportation off the list. The poll indicated that, in the wake of the Nashville’s transit referendum’s passage in November, transportation has declined as a top concern.
While perceptions of the state of economy differ between income brackets — the vast majority of those making over $100,000 per year feel the economy is “good,” while those making less than $30,000 would assess the economy as “bad” — concern for low-income earners persists across the board. Respondents indicated a need for more high-paying jobs and affordable housing.
Education also emerged as a high priority — as it typically is, year to year. Approval for Nashville’s public schools is slowly increasing, while division persisted on the state legislature’s approval of the governor’s school vouchers plan: 20% support vouchers, 36% strongly oppose, and 44% identify as somewhere in between.
Similar divisions remain when it comes to city-state tensions. A majority of respondents feel that local officials should stand up to the state. That’s a change from last year, when the majority felt that city leaders should work with the state legislature and governor.
This rise comes as the state has passed various controversial preemption bills this session — including a law that would charge local officials with a Class E felony if they voted in favor of “sanctuary” policies for immigrants. That’s on top of an existing state law already prohibiting the practice.
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