Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi just started his second year in office and Gov. David Ige is in his final year, but approval ratings for both are among the worst of the nine island politicians included in the Honolulu Star-­Advertiser Hawaii Poll.

Only 29% of poll participants have a favorable opinion of Blangiardi and only 26% have a favorable opinion of Ige. But 32% said they hold an unfavorable opinion of Ige compared to only 16% who said they see Blangiardi in an unfavorable light.

The governor and mayor were put in the same boat, relatively speaking, by the high number of poll participants who said they are neutral in their opinions of the two: 35% for Blangiardi and 40% for Ige.

“It’s interesting how many people still have a neutral opinion about (Ige) after eight years as governor,” political analyst Neal Milner said. “That’s not surprising given who he is and what he does. People are not really high on what he did when it comes to Ige. But when it’s all said and done, he’s not a disaster in the eye of the public. It’s part of the enigma of what David Ige is like in his relationship with the public.”

The governor shows little passion and no anger, Milner said. “That’s not David Ige. He’s an engineer who’s problem-solving and he doesn’t jump ahead. ‘Let’s work this thing out. Let’s problem solve’ — that’s David Ige.”

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The Hawaii Poll was conducted Jan. 24 to 28 by telephone by Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy of Washington, D.C. It included 800 registered Hawaii voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

Colin Moore, director of the University of Hawaii’s Public Policy Center, interprets the 40% neutral opinion as good news for the governor. “That means people are still giving him the benefit of the doubt after seven years. People are not necessarily piling on,” Moore said.

“I’ve had to make some tough decisions during these difficult times that we currently live in,” Ige said in a statement to the Star-Advertiser. “I am aware that not everyone agrees with my approach, but I will continue to do what I believe to be the right thing for the people of Hawaii, with their health and safety as my top priority.”

Blangiardi did not respond to a request for comment.

Some respondents to the poll who were contacted after their participation were outspoken about the two politicians, especially when it came to their handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I approve of both,” said Alex Garcia, 54, of Ewa Beach. “Considering the circumstances, this is their first time dealing with a pandemic. It’s hard to really compare with other people who haven’t had to deal with a pandemic.”

Tai Over, 63, also of Ewa Beach, had a clear preference for Blangiardi compared to Ige.

“I’d like to see better health data coming out of the Health Department,” he said of the state-run agency. “All I hear are numbers to create fear. I don’t hear about people who are dying with underlying conditions or got hit by a car but also had COVID. The data to me is skewed to create fear in the hearts and minds.”

Over called Blangiardi “a fresher face who came from a business background. To me, he’s more open.”

Brian Yamane, 65, of Moanalua, had the opposite opinion.

“I approved of Ige and I disapproved of Blangiardi,” Yamane said. “Ige always errs on the safe side, which I like. He gives things a lot of thought and doesn’t just jump to decisions. He looks at public health rather than keeping business open like Blangiardi, who’s new to the job and doesn’t seem like he knows how things operate.”

Asked about the high number of voters who were neutral on Ige, Yamane said: “Obviously they’re neither satisfied nor unsatisfied.”

Voters statewide were asked whether they had favorable, unfavorable or neutral opinions about nine island politicians, and Lt. Gov. Josh Green led the field with a 56% favorable rating.

He was followed by U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz (45%); U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono (43%); U.S. Reps. Ed Case and Kai Kahele (each at 34%); Blangiardi (29%); Ige (26%); former Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell (24%); and first-time candidate and former Hawaii first lady Vicky Cayetano, who is running for governor (13%).

In a separate question about satisfaction with Ige’s overall performance and another about his response to the coronavirus pandemic, voters were more enthusiastic, with 41% satisfied overall and 49% satisfied with the governor’s handling of COVID-19. (Some 50% disapprove of Ige’s overall job performance but only 43% disapprove of his handling of COVID-19).

In a separate survey of 525 Oahu voters for the Hawaii Poll, 46% said they approve of Blangiardi’s overall performance, 29% disapprove and 25% are not sure. The Oahu responses had a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points.

Asked about Blangiardi’s handling of the pandemic 47% approve, 36% disapprove and 17% are not sure.

Overall, Moore called the poll approval rating for Blangiardi “pretty low.”

“There’s a lot of people who still don’t recognize him and a lot who are neutral,” Moore said. “But these are not great results for Rick Blangiardi. I’m sure he would like to see higher numbers.”