What This Story Is About
- The 2026 Vanderbilt Poll–Nashville shows that Nashvillians are skeptical of many of the city’s biggest leaders and its electric provider in the wake of this winter’s deadly ice storm.
Why It Matters
- The city’s handling of this winter’s storm has been widely criticized after the severe weather knocked out power for more than 200,000. It took weeks to get the power fully restored, putting strain on many families across Music City.
- Amid the scrutiny, Mayor Freddie O’Connell created a commission to review NES’s response to the storm, and the Nashville Electric Service Board is also conducting an independent review of its response.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – A new poll shows that this winter’s deadly ice storm has eroded Nashvillians’ faith in city leadership.
The results of the 2026 Vanderbilt Poll–Nashville, which were released Thursday, show the majority of those questioned do not approve of the Nashville Electric Service, which has faced enduring scrutiny over prolonged outages amid sub-freezing wind chills after the storm.
Additionally, the poll shows that Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s approval rating dropped by 13 percentage points since 2025. And Metro Council’s approval rating dropped below 50% for the first time in the poll’s history…