NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A new poll from Vanderbilt University suggests more than 50% of Tennessee voters want Glen Casada to step down as House Speaker.
The poll, which was released Thursday, said 63% of voters across all party lines say he should resign.
The House Speaker has been embattled in scandal over the last few weeks following multiple NewsChannel 5 Investigates stories which uncovered that he had a sexually explicit text conversation with his former Chief of Staff and then lied about it.
Casada announced this week that he will step down from the speakership on August 2nd – that's 73 days since announcing his intention to resign.
The scandal has not affected the popularity of Governor Bill Lee, according to the poll. Governor Lee remains the most popular politician in the state, with a 61% approval rating.
Vanderbilt officials say that makes Lee equally as popular as his predecessor, Bill Haslam.
Sen. Lamar Alexander stands at 46%, while Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s rating is 45%. The poll says support for President Donald Trump holds steady at 54%.
However, Tennesseans remain unhappy with Congress, giving it just a 26% approval rating.
“We’re seeing the beginnings of a potential fracture in terms of what direction the state wants to go,” said Josh Clinton, one of the poll's directors. “On one hand, our political leaders could go all in for issues that matter to the Republican base, but which may not be reflective of the views of independents and Democrats. Or they can maintain a more consensus-based approach to policies that voters support broadly.”
