AUGUSTA — Mainers are closely divided when it comes to Gov. Janet Mills’ performance as governor, with 49% disapproving of how she handles the job and 48% expressing approval, a new poll from the University of New Hampshire shows.

That disapproval rating is the highest it’s been since she took over as governor in January 2019, the pollsters say.

It’s important to note that the poll was conducted Feb. 13-17, well before Mills had a tense back and forth with President Donald Trump over the state’s decision to allow transgender athletes to participate in school sports.

The poll results are based on the opinions of 855 people who completed an online survey. The margin of error is 3.4 percentage points, according to the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, which conducts the Pine Tree State Poll. 

For those who disapprove of how Mills, a Democrat, is doing the job, the top issue is her handling of the budget or finances (55%). The next highest is housing (5%), immigration (5%) and healthcare (4%).

Those who approve of her performance cite abortion as their top reason (19%), followed by how she handled the COVID-19 pandemic (14%) and budget/finances (9%).

When asked about the most important problem facing the state, 16% said housing. Eleven percent cited cost of living, the state budget and jobs as their top concern.

One major split among the political parties is education, with 58% of Democrats and 49% of independents rating the quality of education as good or very good. Only 12% of Republicans feel the same, according to the poll. 

Most Mainers, 55%, say they strongly or somewhat support a state budget proposal to raise the cigarette tax by $1 per pack, while 31% strongly or somewhat oppose it.