A majority of Tennesseans have a favorable view of Gov.-elect Bill Lee as he heads into office while health care remains a key issue among registered voters, according to a new poll from Vanderbilt University.
Vanderbilt's latest poll, released Thursday, found 57 percent of respondents had a favorable view of Lee, who last month was elected Tennessee's 50th governor. He takes office Jan. 19.
Twenty-two percent of those surveyed held a negative view of Lee.
Although Lee remains popular among registered voters, the top issue for Tennesseans is health care.
Thirty percent of respondents said health care was the state's top priority, followed by education. Twenty-one percent of those surveyed viewed education as the top priority.
“The one worry Bill Lee must deal with is health care, which has risen in importance to Tennesseans,” poll co-director Josh Clinton said. “Although the two are related, health care now takes precedence above the economy to voters here.”
Overall, 66 percent of respondents supported Medicaid expansion in Tennessee. Vanderbilt's poll released in May found the same percentage of respondents supported Medicaid expansion.
John Geer, co-director of the Vanderbilt Poll, said such findings indicate that Lee — who opposes Medicaid expansion — is at odds with public opinion.
As many as 86 percent of respondents said Tennessee's opioid crisis — which contributed to 1,776 drug overdose deaths in 2017 — was an emergency or major problem. Forty-three percent of Tennesseans said they personally knew someone affected by the crisis.
Beyond Lee's base support, the poll had other positive news for Lee on a key issue touted during the campaign: bolstering technical and vocational education.
The poll found 57 percent respondents said it is more important for public schools to provide vocational training, with 33 percent saying college is more important.
Of those who supported vocational education, 71 percent said they would approve using a tax increase to fund those programs. Fifty-nine percent said they supported redirecting existing resources to fund vocational education.
In one of his final ads of the general election, Lee ran a 30-second television spot that included text that said "No new taxes."
Lee also signed a pledge to oppose and veto any and all efforts to raise taxes.
Trump, Haslam, Blackburn approval ratings
The latest Vanderbilt poll also found 52 percent of Tennesseans continued to approve of President Donald Trump. In previous polls, he's remained similarly popular.
Gov. Bill Haslam, who Lee is succeeding, remains the most popular politician in the Volunteer State, with a 61 percent approval rating.
Forty-eight percent of respondents — among all political parties — had a positive view of U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, who is still mulling a potential re-election bid in 2020.
A recently released poll of Republican primary voters from North Star Opinion Research found Alexander with a 65 percent approval rating among GOP respondents.
Retiring U.S. Sen. Bob Corker's approval rating in the Vanderbilt poll was at 45 percent.
And unlike Lee, who is set to enter office with a majority of Tennesseans having a positive view of him, U.S. Sen.-elect Marsha Blackburn is negatively viewed by respondents, according to the poll.
Just 45 percent of Tennesseans had a positive view of Blackburn, while 50 percent had an unfavorable view of her.
Respondents had held Blackburn's opponent, former Gov. Phil Bredesen, in higher regard, with 54 percent having a favorable view of him and 34 percent with an unfavorable view.
Geer said the confirmation of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh may have given many Republicans and independents in Tennessee "enough reason to vote for Blackburn, despite their reservations."
Vanderbilt's latest poll surveyed 1,004 registered voters in Tennessee between Nov. 19 and Dec. 6. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.