Obama Va. approval rating slips to 48 percent

A new poll released today found that President Barack Obama’s approval rating in Virginia has slid to 48 percent against a 46 percent disapproval rating.

The poll, conducted by Public Policy Polling, surveyed likely voters in this year’s gubernatorial contest between former state Attorney General Bob McDonnell (R) and state Sen. Creigh Deeds (D).

Republicans and Democrats were deeply divided in their opinion of the president; only 9 percent of Republicans approved of him while an overwhelming 95 percent of Democrats supported him.

Independents, a key constituency for Obama during the election, mostly disapproved of him. 52 percent said he was doing a poor job while 38 percent supported him.

The Obama campaign targeted Virginia as a key swing state during the race against Sen. John McCain, establishing a beefed up ground game in all parts of the state. Obama’s victory there marked the first time a Democratic presidential candidate won the state since Lyndon Johnson did in 1964.

The results of the poll are most likely very concerning for Obama. But PPP’s Tom Jensen argued that Obama’s brand might not be devalued in the state as some think it is.

“The real takeaway is that Obama’s presence might be just what is needed to generate interest in the Gubernatorial race among his base voters who came out last fall but usually don’t in an off year election,” he wrote in a release.

A Quinnipiac poll released Tuesday found that Obama’s approval rating similarly dipped to 49 percent in Ohio, another key swing state being hit hard by the economic downturn.