RALEIGH – It will no doubt please the dogged defenders of North Carolina’s embattled governor, few as they are, to learn that Mike Easley is not the least-popular governor in the South.

That distinction belongs to Republican Gov. Rick Perry of Texas. Only 37 percent of respondents in a recent Rasmussen poll said Perry was doing an “excellent” or “good” job. His popularity never really recovered from controversies in 2005 and 2006 about taxes and school funding, which prompted an independent candidacy for Texas governor by conservative State Comptroller Carole Strayhorn. Perry won reelection in 2006 with less than 40 percent of the vote in a multi-candidate field. His attempt the following year to require all Texas girls to be vaccinated against HPV, regardless of parental wishes, didn’t help matters with his conservative base.

Here are the other most-recent approval numbers (reported as excellent+good / fair+poor) for Southern and border-state governors:

Republican Bobby Jindal of Louisiana: 67 percent/31 percent
Democrat Mike Beebe of Arkansas: 65 percent/33 percent
Republican Bob Riley of Alabama: 64 percent/35 percent
Democrat Phil Bredeson of Tennessee: 57 percent/41 percent
Republican Sonny Perdue of Georgia: 57 percent/42 percent
Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia: 54 percent/44 percent
Republican Mark Sanford of South Carolina: 53 percent/43 percent
Republican Harley Barbour of Mississippi: 53 percent/46 percent
Democrat Tim Kaine of Virginia: 51 percent/45 percent
Republican Charlie Crist of Florida: 50 percent/49 percent
Democrat Mike Easley of North Carolina: 40 percent/56 percent
Republican Rick Perry of Texas: 37 percent/61 percent
Democratic Steve Beshear of Kentucky: 34 percent/64 percent
Republican Matt Blunt of Missouri: 33 percent/63 percent

The good news for Easley is that he’d have to fall much, much further to really get into the big leagues of unpopular American governors, populated by such worthies as Democrat Jennifer Granholm of Michigan (30 percent/69 percent), Democrat Jon Corzine of New Jersey (29 percent/69 percent), Republican Jim Gibbons of Nevada (21 percent/75 percent) and Democrat Rod Blagojevich of Illinois (16 percent/83 percent). Nor is Easley’s job approval as low as that of our Republican president (a recent average of 29 percent) or Democratic Congress (19 percent).

The bad news is that the North Carolina survey was taken before the past month’s crop of stories about expensive overseas junkets and Mary Easley’s mind-boggling pay hike at N.C. State. If enough voters have been paying attention to state news this summer, the next poll will not be a pleasant one for the Easley camp to ponder.

What’s going on? It may seem like an odd question to ask, given the spate of bad news and embarrassing stories since the beginning the year about the mismanagement of mental-health reforms, public-records destruction, the firing of Debbie Crane, and other issues. But governors are often under a scorching spotlight. Truly popular Southern governors who have served a long time, such as Alabama’s Riley and Tennessee’s Bredeson, have had their share of rough times and tough questions.

I think Easley’s reputation has always been fragile. His approval ratings have never been high by regional or national standards. By limiting his public appearances and legislative agenda throughout most of his tenure, Easley minimized his downside risks. But he also avoided building the record of major accomplishments and strong statewide network of allies that could help him weather the inevitable storms of being governor. Now, as he faces difficult personal and political challenges, there are noticeably few North Carolina politicians who feel obligated to spring enthusiastically to his defense.

Add to that a certain entitlement mentality, bred by years of getting away with questionable behavior, and you have the makings of a political mess. But, hey, remember that Easley’s not as unpopular as Rick Perry. In the eyes of some, it’s all relative.

Hood is president of the John Locke Foundation.