Politics > Schwarzenegger Approval Rating at 36 Pct.

New Poll Finds Schwarzenegger's Approval Rating at 36 Percent

As of late August, 36 percent of registered voters approved of the governor's performance, while 52 percent disapproved, with 12 percent having no opinion, the nonpartisan Field Poll reported.

The newest figures are similar to the approval rating in a Field poll two months ago. But they are down sharply since February, when 55 percent approved of the job he was doing.

Respondents cited Schwarzenegger's call for a November special election as a major factor influencing their opinion. He is promoting ballot initiatives to cap state spending, redraw legislative districts and lengthen the probationary term for teachers.

Fifty-seven percent opposed his call for the election. Disapproval rose to 63 percent when respondents were told how much the special election would cost more than $50 million.

The telephone poll surveyed 1,301 California adults, including 891 registered voters, on Aug. 19-29. It had a margin of sampling error of 3.5 percentage points.

Schwarzenegger campaign strategist Todd Harris disagreed with some of the poll's findings, saying he had seen several private surveys in the past week that showed rising support for the governor and his initiatives.

Harris also pointed to Field Poll results showing broad dissatisfaction with state government. Only 27 percent approved of the Legislature's performance, while twice as many 54 percent disapproved.

"Californians are not happy with the way things are in Sacramento, which bodes well for whichever side is campaigning for change," Harris said. "Given the political environment, I would not want my campaign message to be, 'Let's leave things exactly the way they are,' which is what our opponents' message will to be."

On the Net:

http://field.com/fieldpoll

2005-09-03