Some of the reasons, plus more polling data, after the jump.
Political operatives who I've spoken with say that voters in small states really get to know their governors in a way that big state residents don't and this personal touch translates into higher popularity. For example, Jim Barnett, chairman of the Vermont Republican Party told me about Governor Jim Douglas, "Most people have actually met him. It's very difficult to demonize him." Kyle DeBeer, executive director of the Wyoming Democratic Party, said almost the exact same thing about Governor Dave Freudenthal.
It's also probable that big state governors are subject to more media scrutiny. It's generally easier to deal with a small-town paper staffed by a handful of reporters than to have the New York Times investigating your every move. Of course, more populous states also have larger governments, so it may simply take more skill to lead them.
A couple of other notes from the SurveyUSA poll:
*The results from Louisiana and West Virginia drive home how performance in a crisis can make or break a governor's career. Kathleen Blanco's numbers have remained dreadful ever since Hurricane Katrina, while West Virginia's Joe Manchin, despite the unhappy ending, is the second most popular governor in the country in the wake of the Sago mine tragedy.
*Virginia's Tim Kaine and New Jersey's Jon Corzine made their debuts in the poll, but Kaine (56%-30%) starts off much more popular than Corzine (46%-38%). As much as anything else, an elected officials' first poll numbers in office reflect the tone of the election they've just completed. There was some mudslinging in the Virginia campaign, but it paled in comparison to the New Jersey race.
