Burns dropping; Schweitzer soaring

Burns dropping; Schweitzer soaring
By CHARLES S. JOHNSON, IR State Bureau - 05/29/2006

HELENA — Embattled U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns’ job-approval rating is nose-diving, while Gov. Brian Schweitzer’s score is rising, a new Lee Newspapers poll shows.

In a poll taken last week, Burns, a Republican seeking re-election to a fourth term, saw his positive job-approval score dip to 38 percent from 51 percent in a Lee poll six months ago. In May 2005, Burns had a 59 percent job-approval score in a Lee poll, and he was at 63 percent in December 2004.

Burns has faced a withering attack from Montana Democrats for more than a year over his ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The lobbyist, his associates and their tribal clients donated nearly $150,000 to Burns’ campaign funds-more than any other member of Congress received.

Burns’ job-approval score has been worse in the polls that Mason-Dixon Polling & Research of Washington, D.C., has done for Lee Newspapers since 1990. In May 1994, Burns bottomed out at 33 percent, but the Republican went on to defeat Democrat Jack Mudd in the general election by a 62 to 38 percent margin.

The Lee poll of 625 registered voters, who said they regularly vote in state elections, was taken May 22-24. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points, Schweitzer’s job-approval score was at 69 percent in the latest Lee poll, the highest of top Montana elected officials rated by voters in the survey.
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http://www.helenair.com/articles/2006/05/29/montana_top/01mtt20060529001.txt



Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer

I'm getting to know him better through their sharing of info and updates, and I'll tell you, I really like what I hear.

To me, he is the prime example of why the dlc's talking points are dead wrong. They keep trying to tell us that we must run more conservative candidates or we will lose. Schweitzer is in very "red" Montana and has run, won, and is succeeding with a liberal/progressive platform and makes no bones about it. Pro-choice is about privacy, gay rights is about seperation of church and state--which protects the church from intrusion of government, anti-war and so on. He shoots straight from the hip and doesn't clutter his message with pandering. :)

to confuse the issue.

It isn't about pandering at all.

The Lee poll also showed falling support in Montana for President Bush. His job-approval score dropped to 43 percent, down from 48 in December and 53 percent a year ago. He crested at 84 percent in a December 2001 poll, three months after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

That is a shockingly low number in Montana for Bush.

Dubya out in Montana at all.

Maybe the big sky country is turning into the blue vote country.

His first Brooklyn supporter.

If he has any interest in running, that is.

And he'd get the plain-tawkin' cowboy vote, too.

From what I've seen and heard from him, he actually cares about his homestate and wants to do right by Montanans. What a concept. An elected official who actually gets it. Working for the betterment of the people, instead of the other way around.

I like him... so far he looks like the real deal.

like what I see so far. This guy IMHO is an up-and-comer for the Dems and I think he could be a big winner in Red States as well as Blue.

And another big plus - this guy makes Bushie look like the fake cowboy he is. And Schweitzer knows how to ride a horse! Western style!