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    Latest Round-Up of Obama Approval Ratings by State

    Posted:
    10/3/09
    Most national polls have President Obama's job approval rating settling into the low- to mid-50s, but just as in a presidential election, the national numbers don't provide a picture of how he is doing in states of different political colors. Here's a sampling of recent polls that tested Obama's approval ratings at the state level. It's not a scientific or necessarily representative sample, just a roundup of what's available. States updated or added: Alabama, California, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Virginia, Washington state and Wisconsin.
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    Alabama

    SurveyUSA, Sept. 27-28

    2008 election: McCain 60 percent, Obama 38 percent

    Alabamans disapprove of the job Obama is doing by 61 percent to 37 percent. Whites disapprove by 74 percent to 23 percent while blacks, who made up 24 percent of the sample, approve by 80 percent to 20 percent. Republicans disapprove by 90 percent to 9 percent and independents by 71 percent to 21 percent. Democrats approve by 71 percent to 27 percent.

    Arizona

    Rasmussen Reports, Sept. 24; Cronkite School of Journalism, Sept. 24-27

    2008 election: McCain 53 percent, Obama 45 percent

    Rasmussen says 56 percent of Arizonans disapprove of Obama's performance compared to 44 percent who approved. Of the 56 percent, 47 percent say they "strongly" disapprove.
    The Cronkite poll says 49 percent of Arizonans approve of the overall job Obama is doing compared to 44 percent who do not. They disapprove of his handling of the economy by 48 percent to 45 percent and disapprove his handling of health care reform by 53 percent to 38 percent. They give him positive marks on dealing with Iraq, 48 percent to 38 percent.
    Arkansas
    Rasmussen Reports, Sept. 28; Public Policy Polling, Aug. 21-24

    2008 election: McCain 59 percent, Obama 39 percent


    Rasmussen says 62 percent disapprove of Obama's job performance while 37 percent give him positive marks. Of those, 52 percent "strongly" disapprove. Sixty-seven percent oppose the health care proposals of Obama and the Democrats while 30 percent support them. Again, 52 percent describe themselves as "strongly" opposed.

    PPP says 56 percent disapprove of Obama's job performance compared to 40 percent who approve. And get this: Voters said by 55 percent to 45 percent that conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh had a better vision for America than Obama. Independents disapprove of Obama's performance by 66 percent to 30 percent. Obama's health plan is opposed by 60 percent to 29 percent. Democratic support for the health care plan is tepid compared to elsewhere at 54 percent to 26 percent with 20 percent undecided. Republicans oppose it 89 percent to 8 percent, and independents oppose it by 73 percent to 20 percent.

    California
    SurveyUSA, Sept. 27-29; Rasmussen Reports, Sept. 23

    2008 election: Obama 61 percent, McCain 37 percent
    SurveyUSA reports that Californians approve of the job Obama is doing by 62 percent to 33 percent with 5 percent undecided. Whites disapprove by 50 percent to 46 percent (the margin of error is 4 points) but blacks, who make up 6 percent of the sample, approve by 80 percent to 19 percent and Hispanics, who make up 28 percent of the sample, approve by 75 percent to 17 percent.

    Rasmussen says 50 percent approve of the job Obama is doing compared to 39 percent who disapprove. Fifty-five percent back the health care plan pushed by him and the Democrats while 41 percent are opposed.
    Colorado
    Rasmussen Reports Sept. 15, Public Policy Polling Aug. 14-16

    2008 election: Obama 54 percent, McCain 45 percent
    Fifty-one percent disapprove of Obama's job performance compared to 48 percent who give him positive marks, according to Rasmussen.
    PPP says Obama's approval numbers are where they were in April: 49 percent give him positive marks and 47 percent express disapproval. Obama won the state in 2008 with 54 percent of the vote. Fifty-one percent oppose his health plan, 38 percent back it and 11 percent are undecided. Democrats approve of Obama as strongly as Republicans disapprove of him, while independents split with 48 percent approving and 46 percent disapproving.

    Delaware

    Rasmussen Reports, Sept. 30

    2008 election: Obama 62 percent, McCain 37 percent

    Fifty-four percent approve of Obama's job performance compared to 45 percent who do not. Voters are split on Obama's health care reform plan, with 49 percent opposing it to 48 percent who support it.

    Iowa

    SurveyUSA, Sept. 27-28; Rasmussen Reports, Sept. 22

    2008 election: Obama 54 percent, McCain 44 percent

    SurveyUSA found voters to be split, with 48 percent approving of Obama's job performance and 46 percent disapproving with 6 percent undecided. The margin of error is 4.1 points. Independents disapprove 52 percent to 43 percent.

    Rasmussen says 49 percent of voters disapprove of Obama's job performance compared to 48 percent who rate him positively.

    Kansas

    SurveyUSA Sept. 27-28

    2008 election: McCain 56 percent, Obama 41 percent

    Fifty-seven percent disapprove of Obama's performance, 39 percent approve and 4 percent are undecided.

    Kentucky

    SurveyUSA, Sept. 27-28

    2008 election: McCain 57 percent, Obama 41 percent

    Kentuckians disapprove of the job Obama is doing by 57 percent to 39 percent with 4 percent undecided. Thirty-six percent of Democrats are in the "disapprove" camp. Independents disapprove by 61 percent to 31 percent.

    Minnesota

    SurveyUSA, Sept. 27-28; Star Tribune Minnesota Poll, Sept. 21-24

    2008 election: Obama 54 percent, McCain 44 percent

    SurveyUSA says 55 percent approve of Obama's performance compared to 40 percent who disapprove with 5 percent undecided.

    The Star Tribune says Obama's job approval rating has fallen 11 points since April with 51 percent now voicing approval of his performance. Forty-five percent disapprove of his handling of the health care issue compared to 39 percent who approve and 16 percent who are undecided.
    Missouri
    SurveyUSA, Sept. 27-28; Rasmussen Reports, Sept. 21

    2008 election: McCain 49.3 percent, Obama 49.2 percent
    SurveyUSA says Missourians disapprove of Obama's job performance by 54 percent to 44 percent with 3 percent undecided. A quarter of Democrats disapprove. Independents, 29 percent of the sample, disapprove by 62 percent to 36 percent.

    Rasmussen finds that 56 percent strongly or somewhat disapprove of Obama's job performance compared to 44 percent who approve. Fifty-nine percent strongly or somewhat oppose the health care plan being pushed by Obama and congressional Democrats compared to 38 percent who strongly or somewhat favor it. But a whopping 48 percent put themselves in the "strongly" oppose category.
    New Hampshire

    Rasmussen Reports
    , Sept. 14

    2008 election: Obama 54 percent, McCain 44 percent
    Voters split 50-50 on Obama's job performance.
    New Jersey

    Quinnipiac University, Sept. 23-28; Rasmussen Reports, Sept. 16, Public Policy Polling, Sept 11.-14

    2008 election: Obama 57 percent, McCain 41 percent


    Quinnipiac says 56 percent approve of Obama's performance compared to 39 percent who do not, a net gain of eight points over his standing on Sept. 1.

    Rasmussen says 53 percent approve of Obama's job performance compared to 47 percent who do not.

    In PPP's poll, New Jersey voters disapprove of Obama's job performance by 48 percent to 45 percent, a sharp turnaround from July when he had a 59 percent to 39 percent positive approval rating. While a substantial majority of Democrats approve of Obama's performance and an almost equal number of Republicans disapprove, independents voiced their disapproval by 56 percent to 38 percent. Fifty percent oppose his health care plan, 39 percent support it and 11 percent are undecided. As with Obama's overall approval numbers, Democrats and Republicans come down on predictably partisan sides, while independents turn thumbs-down on the proposal by 64 percent to 27 percent.

    New Mexico

    SurveyUSA, Sept. 27-28

    2008 election: Obama 57 percent , McCain 42 percent

    Fifty percent approve of Obama's performance compared to 45 percent who do not with 4 percent undecided. The margin of error is 4.1 points. Whites disapprove by 59 percent to 38 percent while Hispanics, 39 percent of the sample, approve by 68 percent to 29 percent.

    New York

    Siena College, Sept. 27-29; SurveyUSA, Sept. 27-28

    2008 election: Obama 63 percent, McCain 36 percent

    Siena reports Obama is seen favorably by 55 percent to 38 percent with 6 percent undecided.

    SurveyUSA says 63 percent approve of the job Obama is doing compared to 33 percent who do not, with 4 percent undecided.

    Nevada

    2008 election: Obama 55 percent, McCain 43 percent
    Fifty-three percent disapprove of Obama's performance compared to 46 percent who approve. Fifty-two percent oppose his health care plan compared to 45 percent who support it.
    North Carolina
    2008 election: Obama 49.7 percent, McCain 49.4 percent
    Fifty-two percent disapprove of Obama's handling of the job compared to 47 percent who approve, according to Rasmussen. Fifty-three percent oppose his health care plan compared to 44 percent who back it.
    Fifty-one percent of North Carolinians disapprove of Obama's performance compared to 45 percent who give him positive marks, according to PPP. Obama's marks have been sliding steadily here since April when 54 percent approved of how he was doing. Independents disapprove 56 percent to 39 percent. Fifty-two percent oppose his health care plan while 40 percent support it. Republicans oppose the plan by 88 percent to 6 percent, as do independents, who disapprove by 55 percent to 34 percent. Democrats support the plan by 67 percent to 23 percent.
    Ohio

    Rasmussen Reports, Sept. 23
    2008 election: Obama 51 percent, McCain 47 percent
    Fifty percent disapprove of the job Obama is doing while 48 percent approve.
    Oregon

    SurveyUSA, Sept. 27-28
    2008 election: Obama 57 percent, McCain 40 percent

    Fifty-nine percent approve of Obama's performance compared to 37 percent who do not, with 4 percent undecided.

    Pennsylvania

    Quinnipiac University, Sept. 22-28

    2008 election: Obama 54 percent, McCain 44 percent
    Voters approve of the way Obama is handling his job by 49 percent to 42 percent with 9 percent undecided. They are split on his handling of the economy with 47 percent disapproving, 46 percent approving and 7 percent undecided. They oppose the health care plan Obama is pushing by 47 percent to 41 percent.
    Texas
    2008 election: McCain 55 percent, Obama 44 percent
    Texans turn thumbs-down on Obama's job performance by 80 percent to 18 percent, with two-thirds of those putting themselves in the "strongly" disapprove category.
    Virginia
    Rasmussen Reports, Sept. 29; SurveyUSA, Sept. 27-28; Public Policy Polling, Sept. 25-28
    2008 election: Obama 53 percent, McCain 46 percent
    Rasmussen says 52 percent approve of Obama's performance compared to 48 percent who do not.

    SurveyUSA finds Virginians split with 49 percent approving and 48 percent disapproving with 3 percent undecided. Whites disapprove by 56 percent to 42 percent while blacks, 18 percent of the sample, approve by 73 percent to 27 percent. Independents, 27 percent of the sample, disapprove by 53 percent to 42 percent while Republicans disapprove and Democrats approve by roughly equal numbers.

    PPP reports that 49 percent disapprove of Obama's job performance compared to 45 percent who disapprove with 6 percent undecided. The approval/disapproval numbers show a very polarized electorate with 86 percent of Democrats approving his performance and 91 percent of Republicans disapproving. Unaffiliated voters disapprove of the job Obama is doing by 56 percent to 35 percent. Fifty-one percent oppose his health care plan while 41 percent support it and 8 percent are undecided.

    Washington State

    SurveyUSA, Sept. 27-28
    2008 election: Obama 57 percent, McCain 40 percent

    Fifty-three percent approve of Obama's performance compared to 42 percent who disapprove with 4 percent undecided.

    Wisconsin

    SurveyUSA, Sept. 27-28
    2008 election: Obama 56 percent, McCain 42 percent
    Obama gets an evenly-splt decision with approval and disapproval each at 47 percent with 6 percent undecided. Independents, who make up 30 percent of the sample, disapprove by 54 percent to 39 percent.






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    Bruce Drake

    Drake began his career with the New York Daily News, spending most of that time in Washington covering Congress, national politics and the Reagan White House... more

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