Perry's Approval Rating Plummets in His Own State

Rick Perry's presidential campaign went so badly that not only did he drop out, but his home state isn't exactly welcoming him back with open arms. His approval rating in Texas is his lowest in more than a decade at just 40%, lower than President Obama's; another 40% disapprove of the job he's doing. A whopping 37% of Texans say they view him less favorably now than they did before he ran for president, according to the latest Dallas Morning News poll, and 45% think his campaign hurt Texas' image.

One year ago, his approval rating was around 50%. Apparently he should have listened to the 61% of Texans who, at that time, didn't think he should make a presidential bid, because now 53% of Texans don't think he should run for re-election in 2014. "His actions have made it look like people in Texas are absolute fools," says one poll respondent. "I always thought he was foolish and then the more he talked, the more doubt he removed." Click to see who else has suffered in home state polls after dropping out of the race. (More Rick Perry stories.)