President Obama's job approval ratings are below 50 percent or in negative territory in five of the seven states we are updating in our round-up of state polls (one of the new polls, for Texas, did not test job approval ratings, but instead asked about the impact of Obama's economic stimulus package and his health care proposal). The other updated states are Arizona, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina and Wisconsin.
Tom Jensen of Public Policy Polling, which did some of the new surveys cited here, observes: "Obama generally seems to be having problems in the Midwest. A Des Moines Register poll (Nov. 8-11) showed Obama's approval rating there dropping to 49%. A Quinnipiac poll a few weeks ago in Ohio showed 50% of voters disapproving of him there to just 45% approval. A recent Rasmussen survey in Minnesota found him only slightly in positive territory, 51/48. He won all three of those states last year by margins ranging from 4 points in Ohio to 10 points in Iowa and Minnesota."
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 voters split at 48 percent each on whether they approve or disapprove of the job Obama is doing, with 4 percent expressing no opinion. They believe by 45 percent to 40 percent that he should send more troops to Afghanistan. Fifteen percent expressed no opinion.
Rasmussen says 60 percent disapprove of the job Obama is doing while 40 percent approve.
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.
Californians approve of the job Obama is doing by 60 percent to 34 percent with 6 percent undecided. Sixty-five percent view him favorably while 33 percent see him unfavorably. By 59 percent to 35 percent, voters want a senator elected in 2010 who will support Obama.
Field says 60 percent of voters approve of the job Obama is doing compared to 31 percent who disapprove, a falloff from March when the ratio was 65 percent to 21 percent. Californians support Obama's health care reform plan by 52 percent to 37 percent with 11 percent expressing no opinion. They approve of his handling of Afghanistan by 48 percent to 31 percent with 21 percent having no opinion. But a majority opposes a troop increase in Afghanistan, when the number of those who want the U.S. presence decreased (37 percent) and those who say it should be kept the same (16 percent) are combined. Thirty-three percent favor an increase. Voters approve of the job Obama is doing on the economy by 60 percent to 35 percent with 5 percent having no opinion. On foreign policy, they approve of his performance by 58 percent to 29 percent with 13 percent expressing no opinion.
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 percentage 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.
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.
Quinnipiac says 58 percent of voters approve of Obama's job performance compared to 35 percent who disapprove with 7 percent undecided. They approve of his handling of the economy by 52 percent to 43 percent with 4 percent undecided. But his coattails are not long enough to help an incumbent senator in political trouble, Chris Dodd. Seventy-five percent say Obama's support of Dodd would make no difference to them. They trust Obama more than congressional Republicans on health care by 56 percent to 37 percent with 8 percent undecided.
Research 2000 says Obama is viewed favorably by 64 percent and unfavorably by 32 percent with 4 percent expressing no opinion. Independents view him favorably by 69 percent to 25 percent with 6 percent having no opinion.
Rasmussen says 54 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.
The Register says 49 percent approve of Obama's performance while 44 percent do not, with 7 percent undecided. That's a falloff from 53 percent in September and 19 points lower than January. Fifty-five percent of Iowans disapprove of how Obama is handling health care, up from not quite half in September. Nearly two-thirds of likely voters in Iowa disapprove of Obama's budget policies when it comes to the burgeoning size of the deficit.
Research 2000 says Obama is viewed favorably by 55 percent and unfavorably by 36 percent with 9 percent expressing no opinion. Independents view him favorably by 56 percent to 32 percent with 12 percent voicing no opinion.
Rasmussen says 53 percent disapprove of Obama's performance compared to 37 percent who approve, with those who "strongly" disapprove -- 41 percent -- being the largest group by a double-digit margin. Fifty-seven percent oppose the health plan that Obama and Democrats are pushing compared to 39 percent who favor it.
SurveyUSA says 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.
Daily Kos/Research 2000 says 67 percent of voters view Obama favorably compared to 25 percent who see him unfavorably with 8 percent undecided. Independents see him favorably by 73 percent to 18 percent.
Public Policy Polling says voters approve of Obama's job performance by 49 percent to 41 percent with 10 percent undecided. They are split on his health care reform proposal with 41 percent favoring it, 40 percent opposed and 19 percent undecided.
Suffolk says 60 percent approve of Obama's job performance compared to 36 percent who don't with 4 percent undecided.
Rasmussen says 54 percent of voters approve of the job Obama is doing while 44 percent disapprove and 1 percent is not sure. Fifty percent favor the health care plan he is pushing while 46 percent oppose it and 4 percent are undecided.
Rasmussen says voters approve of Obama's performance by a 52 percent to 47 percent margin, with 1 percent undecided.
EPIC-MRA says Obama is seen favorably by 51 percent and unfavorably by 45 percent with 4 percent undecided. In June, this poll reported that 60 percent regarded Obama favorably and 34 percent unfavorably.
PPP says Missourians disapprove of the job Obama is doing by 52 percent to 43 percent with 6 percent undecided. They oppose his health care plan by 55 percent to 34 percent with 12 percent undecided.
Fifty-three percent approve of the job Obama is doing compared to 37 percent who don't with 10 percent undecided, according to Fairleigh Dickinson.
Public Policy Polling has voters divided at 45 percent each on whether or not they approve of Obama's performance with 10 percent undecided.
Rasmussen says 55 percent approve of Obama's performance and 44 percent disapprove with 1 percent undecided.
Quinnipiac says voters approve of the job Obama is doing by 55 percent to 39 percent with 6 percent undecided. The New York Times says Obama is viewed favorably by 62 percent and unfavorably by 25 percent with 12 percent not expressing an opinion.
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.
Research 2000 says Obama is seen favorably by 53 percent and unfavorably by 39 percent with 8 percent undecided. Independents see him favorably by a 57 percent to 35 percent margin.
Quinnipiac says New Yorkers approve of Obama's job performance by 62 percent to 32 percent with 6 percent undecided.
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.
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.
PPP says North Carolina voters split at 47 percent each on whether they approve or disapprove of the job Obama is doing with 6 percent undecided. Thirty-two percent of voters give him a report card grade of "A," 17 percent say "B," 10 percent give him a "C," 11 percent a "D" and 29 percent flunk him.
Elon University says 52 percent approve of Obama's performance compared to 44 percent who disapprove with 3 percent undecided. Forty-nine percent disapprove of his handling of the economy while 43 percent approve and 7 percent are undecided. Thirty-four percent trust Obama to deal with the key issues facing the country compared to 12 percent for congressional Democrats and 26 percent for congressional Republicans. Twenty-one percent don't trust any of them and 5 percent are undecided. Forty-three percent disapprove of Obama's handling of the war in Afghanistan compared to 41 percent who approve with 12 percent undecided.
The big news in the Quinnipiac poll was that for the first time more Ohio voters disapproved of Obama's job performance than approved, with 50 percent giving him negative marks compared to 45 percent who viewed him positively with 5 percent undecided. Obama's approval had been in the 60s from February through May, dipped to 49 percent in July and stood at 53 percent approving and 42 percent disapproving in September. And, for the first time, when asked who voters trusted more on handling health care, congressional Republicans tied Obama at 40 percent with 21 percent undecided. In September, respondents favored Obama by 49 percent to 28 percent. Voters oppose Obama's health care plan by 55 percent to 36 percent with 9 percent undecided and disapprove of his handling of the issue by a similar margin. They disapprove of Obama's handling of the economy by 53 percent to 42 percent with 5 percent undecided, compared to 48 percent who approved and 46 percent who disapproved in September
F & M says Obama is seen favorably by 45 percent and unfavorably by 39 percent with 13 percent undecided, the first time since taking office that his favorable number was below 55 percent. Forty percent say he is doing an excellent or good job, 31 percent rate his performance as only fair, and 28 percent give him poor marks.
Quinnipiac says 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.
Rasmussen says that 58 percent of Texans say the stimulus plan that Obama and Congress enacted earlier this year has hurt the economy, 26 percent said it has had no impact and 12 percent believe it has helped. Eighty-seven percent oppose the health care reform package being pushed by Obama and congressional Democrats (with 76 percent "strongly" opposing it) while 12 percent are in favor.
The University of Texas poll says 52 percent disapprove of Obama's performance compared to 41 percent who approve and 7 percent who have no opinion.
PPP says those approving or disapproving of Obama's job performance are tied at 47 percent each with 6 percent undecided. Voters oppose his health care plan by 52 percent to 37 percent with 11 percent undecided. Independents (37 percent of the sample) disapprove of Obama's performance by 50 percent to 42 percent with 7 percent undecided, and they are against his health care plan by 58 percent to 21 percent with 11 percent undecided.
In an effort to encourage the same level of civil dialogue among Politics Daily’s readers that we expect of our writers – a “civilogue,” to use the term coined by PD’s Jeffrey Weiss – we are requiring commenters to use their AOL or AIM screen names to submit a comment, and we are reading all comments before publishing them. Personal attacks (on writers, other readers, Nancy Pelosi, George W. Bush, or anyone at all) and comments that are not productive additions to the conversation will not be published, period, to make room for a discussion among those with ideas to kick around. Please read our Help and Feedback section for more info.