NATIONAL—PRESIDENTIAL APPROVAL RATING–Bloomberg : Fifty-five percent of Americans approve of Obama’s performance in office, his strongest level of support since September 2009.
Only 35 percent of the country has a favorable view of the Republican Party, the lowest rating in a survey that began in September 2009. The party’s brand slipped six percentage points in the last six months, the poll shows…Americans by 49 percent to 44 percent believe Obama’s proposals for government spending on infrastructure, education and alternative energy are more likely to create jobs than Republican calls to cut spending and taxes to build business confidence and spur employment.
NATIONAL—PRESIDENTIAL APPROVAL RATING—USA TODAY/Pew Research Center: President Obama “starts his second term with a clear upper hand over GOP leaders on issues from guns to immigration that are likely to dominate the year. On the legislation rated most urgent — cutting the budget deficit — even a majority of Republican voters endorse Obama’s approach of seeking tax hikes as well as spending cuts.”
Key finding: “Now just 22% of Americans, nearly a record low, consider themselves Republicans.”
NATIONAL—APPROVAL RATINGS–NBC News/Wall Street Journal: Just 29% of respondents say they agree “with most” of what Republicans in Congress have proposed versus 45% for Obama and 40% for congressional Democrats. An identical 29% have a favorable view of the Republican Party (compared with 49% for Obama and 41% for the Democratic Party.
The public also believes the GOP is more partisan: 48% say Obama wants to unifying the country in a bipartisan way, while 43% say he’s taking a partisan approach. By comparison, 64% say Republicans are taking a partisan approach, versus 22% who say it’s focused on unity.
NATIONAL—APPROVAL RATINGS–Washington Post-ABC News: 67% of those questioned disapprove of the “way Republicans in Congress are handling federal spending.”
Key findings: “Forty-four percent of self-identified Republicans approve of how their side is handling spending issues, while 51% disapprove. Even the base of the party is less than enthusiastic about how the congressional GOP has approached the issue — with 50% of conservative Republicans approving and 49% disapproving. Compare that to the nearly nine in ten (87%) of liberal Democrats who approve of how Obama has handled federal spending.”
GOVERNOR RACES
ARKANSAS—GOVERNOR–Hendrix College: Former Rep. Asa Hutchinson (R) 47, Former Lt. Gov. Bill Halter (D) 31; Hutchinson (R) 43, Former Rep. Mike Ross (D) 38.
PENNSYLVANIA—GOVERNOR–Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-PA) tells the Philadelphia Daily News that she will challenge Gov. Tom Corbett (R) in next year’s gubernatorial race. Said Schwartz: “It is my intention.” That probably means that Corbett is doomed, given his horrible poll numbers.
CALIFORNIA—GOVERNOR–Former California Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado (R) told the San Francisco Chronicle he is “seriously considering” a 2014 run for governor against incumbent Gov. Jerry Brown (D).
NEW JERSEY—GOVERNOR—Quinnipiac: Gov. Chris Christie (R) 62, state Sen. Barbara Buono (D) 25.
Christie has a record breaking 74% approval rating. Said pollster Maurice Carroll: “Most governors would kill for a 56 percent job approval rating. Republican Gov. Christie gets that from Democrats!”
VIRGINIA—GOVERNOR—Quinnipiac: Terry McAuliffe (D) 34, Ken Cuccinelli (R) 31, Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling (I) 13
VIRGINIA—GOVERNOR–McLaughlin: McAuliffe (D) 38, Cuccinelli (R) 37, Bolling (I) 15
FLORIDA—GOVERNOR–Hamilton Campaigns (D): Gov. Rick Scott (R) 41, Former Governor Charlie Crist (D) 41
SENATE RACES
GEORGIA—SENATE—Barrow Matchups–Public Policy Polling: Rep. John Barrow (D) 38, Rep. Paul Broun (R) 38; Barrow (D) 43, Rep. Phil Gingrey (R) 42; Barrow (D) 43; Former Komen executive Karen Handel 42 (R); Rep. Jack Kingston (R) 43, Barrow (D) 40; Rep. Tom Price (R) 43, Barrow (D) 42;
GEORGIA—SENATE—Carter Matchups–Public Policy Polling: Broun (R) 42, State Senator Jason Carter (D) 40; Gingrey (R) 43, Carter (D) 41; Handel (R) 44, Carter (D) 40; Kingston (R) 45, Carter (D) 39; Price (R) 44, Carter (D) 39
GEORGIA—SENATE—Cleland Matchups–Public Policy Polling: Former U.S. Senator Max Cleland (D) 47, Broun (R) 40; Cleland (D) 46, Gingrey (R) 41; Cleland (D) 47, Handel (R) 40; Cleland (D) 46, Kingston (R) 43; Cleland (D) 44, Price (R) 43
Out of all these matchups, it is clear that Max Cleland is our strongest candidate, and Jack Kingston is the GOP’s. Of course, we know that the GOP nominee is going to be Crazytown Broun or Lt. Casey Cagle (who wasn’t polled in PPP’s matchups), which gives us a chance at the race so long as we don’t nominate a Carter.
Cleland “is the only person in the whole bunch who has more than 50% statewide name recognition, with 48% of voters rating him favorably to 29% with an unfavorable view.
GEORGIA—SENATE—Republican Primary–Landmark/Rosetta Stone: Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle 17, Phil Gingrey 15%, Jack Kingston 12%, Tom Price 11%, Paul Broun 10% and Ross Tolleson at 2%.
MASSACHUSETTS—SENATE—Democratic Primary—Public Policy Polling: Rep. Ed Markey 43, Rep. Stephen Lynch 28
MONTANA—SENATE—DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY–Public Policy Polling: Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D) 54, U.S. Senator Max Baucus (D) 35
Which is good, because Baucus might be in trouble in the general: “Baucus would be in trouble if a stronger Republican candidate got into the contest though. He would trail by 5 point margins to both Congressman Steve Daines (49/44) and former Governor Marc Racicot (47/42). He would have a small lead over Attorney General Tim Fox (46/43). […] Schweitzer would be a stronger general candidate than Baucus. He leads Stapleton by 10 at 49/39 and Edmunds by 15 at 52/37. It would still be competitive even with Schweitzer as the nominee if a top tier Republican ran though- he would lead Daines only 48/45 and start out just behind Racicot at 46/45. He leads Fox by 6 points in a hypothetical match up at 49/43.”