A poll released yesterday shows President Bush's approval rating in Ohio has dropped below 50 percent - the lowest since he took office. And a majority of Ohioans disapprove of Bush's handling of the economy and foreign policy.
Bush's approval is evenly split in the state at 49 percent with 2 percent having no opinion, according to The Ohio Poll, conducted by the University of Cincinnati.
His rating has dropped 14 points since February last year and is down 27 points from last year's high of 76 percent approval in April.
Bush's approval on his handling of the economy is also declining. Forty percent approve and 58 percent disapprove of his economic performance. In foreign policy, 47 percent approve and 51 percent disapprove of the president's performance. Both are the highest disapproval ratings Bush has seen in Ohio.
The poll numbers could be the result of a number of factors, including the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and questions surrounding Bush's National Guard Service. He also suffers from the ongoing Democratic primary, where candidates are attacking the president on a daily basis, said John Green, director of the Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron.
What the president needs to do to turn around those numbers is get out there and campaign
Green said.
When the president does get into full campaign mode, he will emphasize his record, said Kevin Madden, a campaign spokesman. The campaign will focus on strong leadership by the president.
Madden said the campaign will focus on making permanent the president's tax cuts, and he assailed the dismal job creation record of Sen. John Kerry, who is the frontrunner to take on Bush in November.
(Kerry) has never seen a tax hike that he doesn't like and he's never seen a business regulation that he doesn't like Madden said.
Kerry was in Columbus last night rallying supporters and union members.
Bush's poll numbers forecast a very close election in Ohio, Green said.
Madden agreed that the fight for Ohio's electoral votes will be a very very hard fought battle right up until election day
in a state that will be crucial for a Bush reelection.
No Republican has won the presidency without carrying Ohio.
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Nick Juliano
