President Bush’s Approval Sinks

Analysis by Floyd Ciruli
October 9, 2007

President George W. Bush’s job approval rating has declined in Colorado during the last year from 40 percent to 36 percent.

Question: Do you approve or disapprove of the job President George W. Bush is doing?

Bush’s Colorado approval rating mirrors his latest national rating.  A September 8 Gallup poll puts Bush’s national approval at 33 percent.

Only two-thirds (66%) of Colorado Republicans approve the President’s job performance, also a new low.  “He is beginning to lose his Republican base,” said pollster Floyd Ciruli.  More problematic for the President is the fact only 22 percent of unaffiliated approve his performance.  Given the importance of Colorado’s more independent voters, this accounts for much of the President’s poor ratings.

The statewide survey was conducted September 12-15, 2007 with 504 Colorado voters by Ciruli Associates.  The political questions were part of a survey concerning economic development sponsored by the Economic Development Council of Colorado.  The statistical range of error is +4.4 percentage points.  The 2006 survey was conducted September 26 to October 2, 2006 for the EDCC with 500 Colorado voters.

Pollster Floyd Ciruli observed, “The challenge for Colorado’s Republican candidates will be to separate themselves from Bush while supporting most of the foreign and domestic policies advocated by the administration and supported by party faithful.  Unfortunately for Republican candidates, many of those policies are polarizing and highly opposed by unaffiliated voters.”

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Ciruli Associates is a non-partisan research firm providing polling, election analysis and political commentary to Colorado and national media organizations since 1976.