Yeah.... Morally he wasn't as repugnant as your average Republican, especially compared to today's standards. However, there isn't really a way to be a Republican and still be a truly empathetic person. His tenure as governor was all about cutting taxes and services for his constituents.

He massively cut funding for schools, healthcare, and social services which, all while racking up a huge amount of debt for the state. Imo you can't systemically make the lives of hundreds of thousands poor families even harder and still be considered a good person. Being "fiscally conservative" is just short hand for wanting to starve children and deprive them of healthcare and equitable futures, just to make rich people richer.