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Poll: Obama’s approval drops to new low in Iowa


Only 38 percent of voters approve of President Obama in Iowa, according to a new poll. 

{mosads}Quinnipiac recorded Obama’s lowest approval rating in the state during a poll released Wednesday. Another 59 percent of voters in the state disapprove of his job performance.

And nearly 1 in 3 voters say Obama will affect their vote in the state’s Senate race next year. Longtime Sen. Tom Harkin (D) is retiring.

Obama won the state with 52 percent of the vote over Mitt Romney in last year’s presidential election. 

He also won the state’s first-in-the-nation caucus in 2008 — which was a pivotal moment in his first presidential campaign — and was uncontested in 2012. 

Only 31 percent of independents approve of Obama, while 62 percent disapprove. Ninety-seven percent of Republicans disapprove of him, while 82 percent of Democrats approve. 

The state is hosting an open primary next year to replace Harkin.

While 54 percent said Obama will not affect their vote in the Senate election, 29 percent said their vote would be a proxy vote against the president. And 19 percent said their Senate vote would be a vote in favor of him. 

The Democratic candidate for the Senate, Rep. Bruce Braley, leads all prospective GOP candidates in a head-to-head matchup. 

But Republican candidate and U.S. attorney Matt Whitaker narrows that lead to 3 points. 

Obama’s approval rating nationally hangs in the low 40s, according to numerous polls this month, matching many state polls. 


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Quinnipiac has recorded record-low numbers in other states as well, including a 34 percent approval rating in Ohio last month as the botched rollout of his healthcare law dominated headlines. 

The poll surveyed 1,617 registered Iowa voters and has a 2.4-point margin of error.