Gov. Janet Mills’ approval rating has hit an all-time low, according to the Pine Tree State Poll fielded just before and released just days after her verbal spat with U.S. President Donald Trump, where she vowed to sue his administration to continue allowing men to participate in women’s sports.

The poll, conducted by the University of New Hampshire from February 13-17, found that Governor Mills’ disapproval rate has climbed an all-time high of 49 percent, now exceeding her overall approval rating of 48 percent.

The governor’s approval rating has dropped dramatically since August of last year when the same poll found 53 percent held a positive view of her performance in office, while her disapproval then was just 43 percent.

Those who approved of Mills’ most commonly cited her handling of abortion, 19 percent, or her handling of COVID-19, 14 percent, as the key drivers of her support.

Among the plurality of Mainers who disapprove of Mills’ performance, the largest group, 55 percent, cited her handling of the budget and overall spending as their principal complaints with her performance.

Under her leadership and Democratic control of the state legislature, Maine is facing an impending half-billion-dollar budget shortfall.

The rest of the governor’s detractors cited a variety of reasons, ranging from her handling of immigration (five percent) to the current housing crunch (five percent).

Pollsters found that housing stood out as the highest priority problem for the largest segment of respondents, or 16 percent of Mainers. The cost of living, state budget, and the economy/jobs all tied for second place, with 11 percent citing each as their top issue.

Despite Mills’ declining approval rating and concerns about her administration’s spending, a majority of Mainers, 55 percent, support her proposal to increase the cigarette tax by $1 per pack. A substantial 42 percent of Mainers want an increase in education spending, while only 36 percent said school budget are too large.

On other issues, a clear majority (55 percent) would also support a state constitutional amendment that specifies that only citizens are allowed to vote, the poll shows.

With Mainers concerned about practical issues such as the budget or housing, Mills is pushing forward in her feud against Trump, vowing to sue the federal government over the right to allow men in women’s sports.

According to recent polling, 79 percent of Americans, including 67 percent of Democrats and Democrat-leaning Americans, believe that men should not compete in women’s sports.