Obama Approval Above 50 Percent in Just Handful of States

By Newsroom America Staff at 1 Feb 2012

(Newsroom America) -- A new survey found that President Obama's approval rating is above 50 percent in only 10 states and the District of Columbia, signalling he has his work cut out for him as he begins campaigning in earnest for a second White House term.

The Gallup survey found that Obama's strongest support comes from the District, where he has an 81.1 percent approval rating. That compares with Utah, where his job approval rating is lowest at just 28.6 percent.

The states were Obama is the strongest, after Washington, D.C., are Hawaii (56.1); Maryland (55.5); Massachusetts (55.1); Connecticut (55); New York (54.7); Vermont (51.3); Delaware (50.9); New Jersey (50.8); Illinois (50.4); and California (50.1).

In his third year in office, Obama has averaged a 44-percent approval rating, down from 47 percent during his second year. His poor showing in a majority of states, however, will make it difficult to secure the necessary 270 electoral votes to win in November.

"Obama's approval rating at the state level provides some insight into his chances to win an Electoral College majority. He would seem to be well-positioned in the states in which his approval rating was above 50 percent last year, including three of the larger states in California, New York, and Illinois. The states with majority approval of Obama in 2011 account for 159 electoral votes. Obama won all of those states' electoral votes in the 2008 election," said Gallup, in its survey analysis.

"On the other hand, states in which his approval rating was below 40 percent seem less likely to recover enough to allow Obama to claim their electoral votes this fall. Those states account for 153 electoral votes. All except New Hampshire voted for John McCain in 2008," Gallup continued. "Thus, the key to Obama's winning a second term lies in the states whose approval rating is in the 40 percent range, which account for the remaining 226 electoral votes and include traditional "swing states" such as Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida. Obama won the vast majority of these states in 2008."

Gallup said it's results are based on Gallup Daily tracking data from 2011, which include interviews with just under 180,000 U.S. residents and no fewer than 500 residents in any state (the sample for the District of Columbia was 356).

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