Wingnut governors doing Romney no favors

As Republicans celebrated winning the governorships of important swing states back in November 2010, there was one silver lining we could cling to:

[A]s painful as the likes of [Ohio Gov.] John Kasich, [Wisconsin Gov.] Scott Walker, and Florida's Rick Scott might be, they are also shaping up as our best weapons for holding those key battleground states in 2012.

I admit, when I wrote those words in early 2011, I wasn't feeling particularly sunny, but I was trying to look ahead to happier days. And it was true, those three governors have become so polarizing that they are likely dragging the GOP ticket down in those critical states.

Like in Florida.

A new independent survey shows that Scott remains unpopular among Florida voters heading to the Republican National Convention in Tampa later this month.

The poll from Quinnipiac University, The New York Times and CBS News shows that 52 percent of the voters disapprove of Scott's job as governor, with 36 percent approving and 13 percent undecided.

And Pennsylvania.

After more than 18 months in office, Gov. Tom Corbett continues to struggle to win over Pennsylvanians, polls show.

The most recent poll, released Wednesday by Quinnipiac University in Connecticut, found Corbett's disapproval rating at 45 percent, while his approval rating trailed at 38 percent.

Ohio's Gov. John Kasich actually saw better job numbers (first time above water since early 2011), and is now above water, but he has done so much to damage the GOP brand in the state that it is undoubtedly a factor in Pres. Barack Obama's (and Sen. Sherrod Brown's) strong numbers in the Buckeye State. Republicans never recovered from the drubbing they took when their anti-union SB 5 was overwhelmingly rejected by voters.

There was never a better way to sour battleground state voters on the GOP than to give them a front-row seat on what Republican governance looks like. As a result, there isn't a single such GOP governor that has made his or her state more competitive for Mitt Romney.