ABC News Photo Illustration / AP / Getty Images
When it comes to infrastructure repair work, this one had everything: a live broadcast 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, TikTok star construction workers, a giant NASCAR jet dryerGritty and the Phillie Phanatic riding a fire truck. In June, a tanker truck crashed under Interstate 95 – a critical road in Philadelphia that sees about 160,000 vehicles a day, killing the driver and causing the overpass to collapse. Experts initially estimated it could take months to repair the freeway and reopen the vital artery, but less than two weeks later, six new temporary lanes were opened to allow traffic to flow while permanent repairs are completed.
The quick fix was hailed as a great political victory for Pennsylvania’s rookie Democratic governor Josh Shapiro, with some even saying he could be the centerpiece of a potential future campaign for president. And indeed, Shapiro enjoyed a boost in his approval rating as repairs were completed and the road reopened. In March, a Commonwealth Foundation/Bullfinch Group survey showed that 54 percent of Pennsylvania voters approved of the job Shapiro was doing. When the the same company surveyed again after the collapse, his approval rating had risen to 60 percent. A Quinnipiac University Poll conducted around the time of the reopening also showed Shapiro with a strong 57 percent approval rating, with 74 percent of voters saying they approved of Shapiro’s handling of the I-95 collapse in particular
It’s not outrageous to see competent governance rewarded at the polls, but it’s not always guaranteed to turn out that way either. Voters tend to be reactive to disasters and can be reactive as well quick to blame political leaders like giving credit when things are going well. In this case, there were a few things going in Shapiro’s favor: a honeymoon period for new governors, a clear problem and solution, and support from all levels of government, as well as some smart moves by know that they helped turn it into a political victory.
Since taking office in January, Shapiro and eight other rookie governors have enjoyed a typical honeymoon period during which voters, still buoyed by the previous election and excited about a new face in office, look favorably on the its new governor. While Shapiro doesn’t top the list of rookie governors, based on an average of the polls on his approval and disapproval ratings, when you dig a little deeper, he’s doing remarkably well. The four governors with a higher net approval rating than him (Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore) all lead the states where their political party is dominant, giving them a leg up. until approval. By comparison, Shapiro is outperforming the other two rookie governors in purple states like Pennsylvania (Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo and Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs), and is even more popular than two governors in more partisan states (Gov. of Nebraska, Jim Pillen and Oregon). Governor Tina Kotek).
Rookie governors usually enjoy a honeymoon period
Average share of respondents in nine states who said they approve or disapprove of their governor’s job performance, according to polls conducted since Jan. 1
Lombardo and Shapiro’s numbers are an average of four polls each; Moore’s numbers are an average of three polls; Hobbs and Healey’s numbers are an average of two polls each. All other governors’ numbers are based on one poll each.
Source: Surveys
It also helped that, while disastrous and deadly, the overpass collapse was a contained and specific problem with a clear solution: fix the bridge and get traffic running again, according to David King, professor of transportation and urban planning at Arizona State University. “It’s a rare occasion in politics where you have a clearly defined problem,” King said. “With a road collapse, it’s very clear what needs to happen and everyone agrees on what the preferred outcome is.” The project was aided by the fact that it was such a critical transportation artery that it simply had to be repaired, making its reopening, while successful, not exactly unprecedented, as Jake Blumgart recently wrote in The Atlantic.
The obvious problem and solution meant there was also no partisan bickering over what to do, and it resulted in bipartisan voter support. In that Quinnipiac poll, 34 percent of Republican voters said they approved of the job Shapiro was doing as governor, but 65 percent approved of how he handled the reopening of I-95.
“The infrastructure is something that can still allow for a degree of bipartisan evaluation,” said Chris Borick, a professor of political science at Muhlenberg College. “It doesn’t matter who you are – Republican, Democrat, independent – if it’s open, it’s open, if it’s closed, it’s closed. If anything, [this] it lends itself to a moment that transcends the partisan lens through which we see things [through].”
Finally, because the need to reopen the highway was so obvious, the repair project gained the support of all levels of governmentalong with full federal fundingmaking it even easier for Shapiro to make quick work of temporary repairs.
This is not to take all the credit away from Shapiro. The governor and his team made some smart decisions to maximize the positive vibes of the highway’s reopening. Shapiro constantly photographed himself overseeing the project, created a live stream of the crews working around the clock, and made some captivating choices, like this one. decision to borrow a jet turbine from nearby Pocono Raceway to help dry the rain-soaked asphalt so it could be painted, it turned what could have been a dry, practical affair into a minor media spectacle.
But like all honeymoons, this period will end, and the electorate is a fickle love. The overpass will still take months to fully rebuild, and limited temporary lanes are still slowing traffic compared to before the collapse, which could gradually erode the warm fuzzies generated by the faster-than-expected reopening , King said.
“It’s going to take some shine off the incredible work of opening something in two weeks,” King said. “We as people have very short memories, especially when it comes to traffic congestion.”
