As voters headed to the polls in other states Tuesday, many Illinoisans probably felt relief from the drama of another election cycle.

Gov. JB Pritzker, one year removed from capturing a second term, spent some of his Tuesday issuing a news release celebrating the state’s ninth credit rating upgrade in the past two years:

“We are continuing to right the past fiscal wrongs in our state with disciplined fiscal leadership, and credit rating agencies and businesses alike are taking notice of Illinois’ remarkable progress,” he said. “Another credit rating upgrade means millions saved for Illinois taxpayers in interest – money back in the pockets of our state where it can better serve our residents.”

The upgrades from Fitch Ratings (tinyurl.com/FitchNov7) reflect “the state’s ability to execute on significant planned reserve contributions and maintain improvements in budget management including normalized accounts payable, thereby improving the state’s overall operating profile,” according to the agency.

Surely state government has plenty of shortcomings and it’s easy to find people lamenting Pritzker’s tenure and the Democrats who control the General Assembly on a variety of fronts. But Pritzker’s 2018 election was a direct rebuke of the fiscal disaster of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s single term, and it’s politically shrewd to remind voters of accomplishments, especially those that don’t directly affect the average resident’s daily life.

On Halloween, Morning Consult released results from its monthly polling of the president, U.S. Senate and governors. The firm’s “state-level data represents trailing three-month averages of monthly roll-ups derived from Morning Consult’s daily U.S. tracking survey,” a complex formula that spit out Pritzker in a four-way tie for eighth-place on the “most unpopular governor list.”

Pritzker’s disapproval rating is 41%. But he’s also got a 54% approval figure, the same as Democrat Tim Walz of Minnesota and Republican Greg Abbott of Texas. Oklahoma Republican Kevin Stitt is similar, at 52% to 41%, with only 7% of respondents marked as having no opinion. In far worse shape is Oregon Democrat Tina Kotek, who has only 44% of voters in her camp with 15% unwilling to be marked as for or against.

As many politicians were reminded this week, the only poll that truly matters is the ballot box. But sometimes it’s important to consider that even among justified, reasonable complaints, millions of Illinois voters think their governor is doing a good job.

ON THIS DAY: Two great writers were born in Chicago on Nov. 9, 1923: poet James Schuyler, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his collection “The Morning of the Poem” in 1981; and journalist Elizabeth Hawley, who moved to Kathmandu and became the undisputed authority on Himalayan mountain climbing expeditions in Nepal. The works of both Illinoisans are available online.

• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Media. Follow him on Twitter @sth749. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.