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Poll: Schwarzenegger in Trouble
Despite California's huge $5 billion revenue surplus, his popular $37 billion public works bond deal, and multiple opportunities to showcase himself favorably signing bills around the state, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's job approval numbers have fallen to 37 percent. A recent poll of 2,000 adults by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) revealed a two-point decline for Schwarzenegger in the last month. According to the Contra Costa Times, among 986 likely voters, his approval rating was 42 percent, down from 46 percent one month ago. Experts told the Times that with approval ratings 40 percent or lower since April 2005, Schwarzenegger is vulnerable running against the two Democrats who want his job - state Treasurer Phil Angelides and state Controller Steve Westly - who are in a virtual tie as they head toward the June 6 primary. In polls Schwarzenegger runs head-to-head with both. "He's not turned a corner in terms of his re-election prospects," Bruce Cain, director of the UC Center in Washington, told the Times. "The fact that he didn't gain from these recent actions suggests the governor has a long way to go before he rehabilitates himself."
Cain warned, however, that Democrats "would make a mistake if they think he's going to be easy to defeat."
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Mark Baldassare, the research director of the PPIC, told the Times: "What's surprising is the governor's approval rating hasn't changed much. It speaks to the difficulties the governor has in convincing not just Democrats but independents and some Republican voters he has all the leadership qualities needed to be re-elected." Acknowledging that the race will be close, Julie Soderland, the governor's campaign press secretary, told the Times, "We're optimistic about where we stand." Rob Stutzman, a Republican strategist and former communications director for Schwarzenegger, offered some GOP optimism. "Given the generic numbers for Republicans nationally, for a Republican governor in a left-leaning state to show he's in a dead heat is really an envious position," Stutzman said. Art Torres, the state's Democratic Party chairman, had a different opinion, telling the newspaper: "For an incumbent governor to be tied with two men who the media say haven't made a splash with the public is not good news for him. Even with all his moves to the moderate center with hopes of regaining voters who supported him in the special election, it isn't working for him."
Tom Del Beccaro, the Contra Costa County GOP chairman and head of the party's county chairpersons, insists that once the immigration debate ends and the Democratic nominee is known, the situation will change. "Once the choice is made and people see the difference, I'm not worried about how he'll do," Del Beccaro told the Times. "Once the base is focused on the matchup, that's when the numbers will move."
Editor's note:
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