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Obama's 2010 Job Approval Rating Dropped 10 Points or More in 31 States

1 year ago
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Bruce Drake
Bruce Drake
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President Obama's average job-approval rating for his second year in office was 47 percent, down 11 points from the 58 percent he enjoyed in 2009, according to Gallup. But another way to illustrate that drop is to look at his approval rating by state, and Gallup's surveys show that Obama tumbled by 10 points or more in 31 states.

His biggest drops were in Vermont (15.2 points), Arizona (14.5 points), Kentucky (14.2 points) Missouri (14.1 points) and Utah (14 points). Obama had carried Vermont in 2008 by more than 2-to-1, but lost to John McCain in the other four (although in Missouri, McCain beat him by only one-tenth of a point).

Some of the states where Obama had double-digit drops were strongly Democratic ones that had backed him over McCain by 10 points or more (and by as much as 2-to-1 margins) in the last presidential election, such as Minnesota (13.3 points), New Jersey (11.7 points), Massachusetts (11.6 points), Maryland (10.9 points) and New York (10.6 points).

http://www.gallup.com/poll/146294/Hawaii-Approving-Obama-States-Decline.aspxObama's highest level of approval was in the District of Columbia (84.4 percent) and Hawaii (65.9 percent). After that, he did best -- with ratings between 55.1 percent and 57.6 percent -- in Maryland, New York, Delaware, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. In all, half of the states that most approved of Obama were in the Northeast.

The president's standing was lowest in Wyoming, where only 27.6 percent approved of the job he was doing. The other states in which he had the low approval -- between 31.6 percent and 39.3 percent -- were Idaho, West Virginia, Utah, Oklahoma, Alaska, Kentucky, Montana, Arkansas and Kansas.

There were 20 states where Obama's approval rating was within three points of his national average of 47 percent, and Gallup says those states "may well provide a preview of where the most intense campaigning will occur in the coming 2012 presidential election."

The figures "suggest that states such as Florida, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Ohio, and Nevada -- all of which have average Obama approval ratings within one point of the national average -- may once again be the battlegrounds of the coming election," Gallup said.

States Within Three Points of President Obama's National Job Approval Average

Filed Under: Polls, 2012 President, Poll Watch, Barack Obama
Tagged: Obama job approval, Obama polls
More articles from Bruce Drake »

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29 Comments

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Richard Havron

I've supported the GOP since 1960, but Pres. Obama is accomplished. Lowered Federal Income Taxes for 95% of Americans, posted the lowest Federal Tax rates in the country since 1950, saved the American auto industry, saved both the global & American economies, the Stock Market is up over 50%, reigned in corporate excess on Wall Street, reached out to big business, concluded the war in Iraq, added women and balance to the Supreme Court (not ideologues) and extended health care for millions of Americans. He will be re-elected in a Reaganesque electoral landslide.

February 26 2011 at 8:36 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
bildaws

My question would be; why doesn't he just resign before driving the country even deeper into debt?

February 24 2011 at 1:35 PM Report abuse +3 rate up rate down Reply
Bonbon

Overall his ratings are not that good, he will never be re elected. he has no clue what he's doing and he has not improved one single thing.

February 24 2011 at 1:14 PM Report abuse +5 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Bonbon's comment
Richard Havron

Factually inaccurate and just silly.

February 26 2011 at 8:36 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
druid0621

While I'm no fan of our current president, it should be noted that his approval ratings have been on the rise. Why? I have no clue, but then again I still can't believe he won.

February 23 2011 at 9:04 PM Report abuse +13 rate up rate down Reply
vobox3343

Are we not in 2011?

February 23 2011 at 7:59 PM Report abuse +5 rate up rate down Reply
Al P.

Look at the historical data when it comes to a President that does something for the middle class. Look at the present congress and open your eyes and see what party cares about the little guy. You can't deny what party supports tax cuts for the rich, you can't deny what party supports cutting consumer protections. You can deny what party supports deregulation. You can't deny what party supports the insurance and oil industries. You can't deny what party wants to kill unions that support the working class. You can't deny what President got us into this to begin with. You can't deny what party supported the protections afforded by Health Care and Financial reform. Just open your eyes, it's not hard to see the difference between the truth and misinformation. You don't need to be a rocket scientist.

February 23 2011 at 5:03 PM Report abuse -25 rate up rate down Reply
3 replies to Al P.'s comment
tripp

As an Independent......I am disappointed Obama promises jobs, continues to grow the Government and increase spending.

You can't spend more than you make.

We have No Choice but to cut our budgets "big time."

February 23 2011 at 4:31 PM Report abuse +31 rate up rate down Reply
chuckymumsy

WHERE ARE ALL THE JOBS? COME ON AMERICA FOR A COUNTRY THAT IS SO SO RICH. WHY DON'T YOU HELP THE AMERICANS BY HAVEING EVERYTHING MADE IN AMERICANS BY AMERICANS. LET EVERYONE ELES FIGHT THEIRE OWN WARFOR A CHANGE.. LET OTHER COUNTRIES BUY , MADE IN AMERICA THINGS CLOTHES ECT, WHATS WRONG HERE?????????????? WE NEED SOMEONE WHO REALLY CARES ABOUT US. FREE HEALTHS CARE PAID BY OUR GOV. YOU PAY THE DOCTORS WHAT THEY ARE WORTH.. THANK YOU I HOPE EVERYONE THAT CARE READ THIS. I AM SO TIRED OF SEEING HOMELESSNESS. JOBS IS WHAT WE NEED.. JUST HELP THE AMERICANS PLEASE MR. PRESIDENT OBAMA

February 23 2011 at 4:25 PM Report abuse +14 rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to chuckymumsy's comment
mark

When you stop shopping at wal-mart and buying things made in america. support your neighbors. No president can make us take care of ourselves. The republicans want us to export jobs to china, mexico canada etc. there is more money for the corporations in exporting jobs.

February 23 2011 at 8:53 PM Report abuse -13 rate up rate down Reply
Dante68

Good point, but let's remember that the de-facto Americans that count are the 1-2% that are on the boards of these corporations that sell out our jobs overseas in 3rd world countries with no benefits and 1/3 the pay so they can take a bigger bonus. A couple of things you will NOT hear them seriously talking about on CSPAN are executive pay and flat taxes. Both benefit the elite here and abroad. Obama's a front man. Were he not, he would have fired Benanke and would have been twisting the CEO's to reinvest here and take less profits to make this place a better place to live. The recovery IS here, just not for us because we don't count... America produces squat now, American corporations are only interested in supply chains here. The auto industry is one of the last to go...

February 24 2011 at 5:25 PM Report abuse +2 rate up rate down Reply
sysaphus71

There are still a number of people who are living vicariously through this president.They will never change. There are still some who live to blame Bush.
And there are some who just can't face the fact that the government just isn't gonna pay the mortgage and their gas .Sad facts.
The good news....The liberals bared all with the Pelosi/Reid/Obama cabal. The agenda to beat all had its way for two years.......and the true intentions of a liberal progressive free for all were exposed......Now the liberals are trying to side step all the damage by saying conservatives now want grandma to start eating dog food again. And by reining in the unions now means that the middle class will cease to exist..........wow now thats a good one.
I think the slurs and the spin and the stop the conservatives before they actually do the right thing mantra has run it's course.
The uncontrolled orgy of power grabbing in 2009 has been forever seared into the minds of the majority that liberals are too idealistic and not realistic.Their grip on the here and now has slipped into an alternate universe. Could be a flashback from the Brown Hall riots in '66, I don't know. In any case ,it is immaterial what a flash poll today says....the damage has long ago been done...liberals can
not be in the lead dog spot ever again.....because of the mess they leave and the view.

February 23 2011 at 3:59 PM Report abuse +26 rate up rate down Reply
sgerlyn

How does he get those numbers? He shows no leadership-not a word about Libya!

February 23 2011 at 3:57 PM Report abuse +27 rate up rate down Reply

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