Poll: Bush approval hits new low (CNN/Gallup/USA Today) [View All]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-02-02-campaign-roundup_x.htm

President Bush's approval among Americans has sunk to a new low, and Sen. John Kerry would likely win the presidential election if it were held today, according to a new USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup poll.

Bush's 49% approval number -- the lowest of his presidency -- is 11 points lower than his approval number in early January. He also received the lowest ratings of his presidency for his handling of the economy, foreign affairs and his performance on health care policy, with the numbers on those issues sinking substantially in the past few weeks.

"It's hard to believe that these numbers could turn as quickly as they have," political analyst Stuart Rothenberg, editor and publisher of the Rothenberg Political Report, said of the poll results. "My gut tells me that the direction is right, but the magnitude may be a bit of an exaggeration."

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Among likely voters, Kerry held a 53%-46% edge over Bush, a gap larger than the margin of error and a substantial turnaround from the 55-43 edge Bush held only three weeks ago. The bad news for Bush did not stop there: Most of the other leading Democrats landed in a statistical tie, polling within the margin of error in head-to-head matchups. Sen. John Edwards led Bush 49-48 among likely voters, and retired Gen. Wesley Clark trailed Bush 47-50.