The unsolved fight over Mauna Kea’s Thirty Meter Telescope is dragging Gov. David Ige to an ignominious end — and greatly worrying Hawaii.

According to a new Honolulu Star-Advertiser poll, just 35% of Hawaii voters approve of Ige’s job performance, while 56% said they disapprove of the work done by the Pearl City Democrat.

The poll was taken as the TMT dilemma nears its fourth month. By way of comparison, former Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who was upset by Ige in the 2014 election, had the nation’s lowest gubernatorial approval rating of 30% back in 2011.

So it is not surprising that a politically bloodied Ige last week said, “The issue of building TMT is not a popularity contest.” Ige should know about exploring the nadir of performance ratings. Back in March 2018, two months after state officials incorrectly warned of an incoming ballistic missile, 49% said they disapproved of Ige’s job performance.

Job approval and political skill run side by side in a politician’s repertoire; skill gives you approval.

So can political chops solve the TMT quagmire? After years of solid public backing, the recent opinion poll shows Hawaii voters bailing on TMT.

In the face of dedicated resistance, the telescope is now supported by half of Hawaii’s voters. Just 18 months ago, it carried a 77% approval rating.

The last time Native Hawaiian activists played such an important role in state affairs was during the 1990s, when after 20 years of protests, they were battling the federal government to stop the bombing of Kahoolawe.

The politics of the day was that GOP U.S. Rep. Pat Saiki was running against U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka in 1990, and Saiki was credited with talking President George H.W. Bush into halting the bombing after years of Republican insistence that the Hawaiian island was needed for national security. While Akaka was a steadfast opponent of the Kahoolawe bombing, politics stopped the bombs, although public opinion polls at the time gave neither Saiki nor Akaka credit for the halt.

If a political solution is to be found for TMT, it will take a lot more players to step up.

Colin Moore, director of the Public Policy Center at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, predicts getting resolution from groups such as the state Legislature will be difficult.

“Politicians will almost certainly try to duck the TMT issue,” Moore noted. “A divisive and emotional issue where public opinion is evenly split is the last thing any candidate wants to discuss.”

The discussion, however, is going to be held and if some politicians do step up, it will define a new era of leadership. If no one does, we go on with same old, same old.

Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays. Reach him at 808onpolitics@gmail.com.