Bush Sinks To 24% In Connecticutt State Poll

Bush Sinks To 24% In State Poll
Approval Rating Reflects Iraq And Other Issues
April 25, 2006
By DAVID LIGHTMAN, Washington Bureau Chief

WASHINGTON -- President Bush's job approval rating in Connecticut plunged to a record-low 24 percent this month, one of the most dismal showings in the nation - and a number the president could find difficult to reverse anytime soon.

"I think he's in real trouble, at least until the November election," said Samuel Best, director of the University of Connecticut's Center for Survey Research and Analysis.

The center, which conducted the Hartford Courant/UConn poll from April 17 to 20, found Bush suffering from the same political maladies that affect him throughout the nation - a war in Iraq that seems endless, the lengthy cleanup from Hurricane Katrina, demands for tougher border enforcement and skyrocketing energy prices.

"Those events cast doubt on the president's ability to govern," Best said. Nationwide, pollsters saw the same trend.

"The number has slipped 6 or 7 points in the last six to eight weeks," said G. Terry Madonna, director of Pennsylvania's Keystone Poll, talking about trends in that bellwether state. "I don't think there's any doubt that Iraq is the main reason, but a lot of other things keep happening."

In Connecticut, nearly half the 503 people surveyed rated Bush's performance poor, while 27 percent called it "fair." Nationally, the latest Bush approval rating, compiled by Fox/Opinion Dynamics April 18 and 19, found 33 percent approved of the job Bush was doing and 57 percent disapproved.

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