I come up with Romney at 46% approval in March 2006, not at all terrible for a Republican in an overwhelmingly Democratic state.
Voter opinion of Romney appears to have dropped since he announced he would not seek reelection, a step widely seen as preparation for a 2008 presidential campaign. His job approval rating was 46 percent, down from 51 percent in the August survey, while 47 percent disapprove of his performance, up from 42 percent. Still, Romney's personal popularity remains constant: 49 percent gave him a favorable rating, compared with 50 percent in August, and his unfavorable rating remaining at the 41 percent he received in the last survey. Source
It was after Mitt started campaigning for the Presidency that his approval rating dipped down into the thirties.
Depending on who you talk to Deval Patrick's approval rating is already in the thirties or lower. In a two way race only 32% of the voters would pick Patrick, and that would be lower if his Lieutenant Governor runs against him as an independent, at least according to one August 2009 report I've seen.
I don't see Romney as anything more than a half-full glass. If you want to call him half-empty, fine, but there are a lot worse politicians out there.
In April of 2005 Romney’s approval rating was 43%, Romney’s approval ratings were telling him the story, the polls matching him against opponents were telling him the same story, the man could not get reelected, by December 2005 he gave up the notion that he could get reelected and formally said that he would not seek it.
Mitt Romney left office disgraced and with 34% approval. In the Presidential primaries, Romney had it all, the money, the organization, the dedicated base, but he could not make people like him or trust him.
Presently Romney’s numbers among Republicans are plummeting and for no evident reason, yet it is the story of his political life as he approaches 17 years of constant running for office with little to show for it.