Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s standing in the Democratic Party nationally continues to increase even as he struggles in his home state with low approval ratings. The issues that make Gov. Malloy a darling of the national Democratic Party are not a high priority for voters back home.

Last week Gov. Malloy was invited to join President Obama at the White House as the president introduced a set of executive actions to subject more gun buyers to background checks, narrowing loopholes for Internet and gun-show purchases. The Obama administration considers Gov. Malloy a leader on the issue, pointing to bipartisan legislation in Connecticut that tightened gun control in the wake of killings at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Gov. Malloy has championed other issues dear to the Obama White House. Connecticut took the lead in raising the minimum wage, which increases to $10.10 in 2017. Connecticut also had great success in implementing the Affordable Care Act.

Meanwhile, Gov. Malloy’s “Second Chance Society,” another legislative effort that received bipartisan support, is aimed at improving the chances that young people — mostly young men — found guilty of nonviolent crimes can successfully be reintegrated back into society and become contributing members of the community. This is another White House priority.

Again showing its approval, the White House will include Gov. Malloy among a small list of notable guests who will join First Lady Michelle Obama in the gallery for the State of the Union Address Tuesday night.

These issues — gun control, a living wage, reducing recidivism rates — are popular with a majority of state voters.

So why the low ratings?

It is on pocketbook and trust issues where Gov. Malloy falters. The last Quinnipiac poll on the topic in mid-October showed Connecticut voters disapproved 58 percent to 32 percent of the job Malloy was doing as governor.

The disapproval of his handling of the budget was 72-19; of taxes 76-19; and of the economy and jobs 70-24. And 49 percent rated him negatively on honesty and trust, a likely product of vowing not to raise taxes when campaigning in 2014, only to sign tax hikes into law several months after the election.

Speculation is rising that Gov. Malloy is positioning himself for a cabinet appointment in a Clinton White House. However that plays out, the signal that state residents are sending is that it is the economy and the budget, back here in Connecticut, which deserve the governor’s greatest attention.