Gallup Shows Obama Polling Falling In 47 Out Of 50 States, Including All States Critical To His Re-Election

OBAMA POLLING NUMBERS FALLING IN ALL STATES HIS OWN CAMPAIGN SAYS ARE CRITICAL TO HIS RE-ELECTION

Obama Has Set Nine Key States To Getting The 270 Electoral Votes He Will Need To Win In November. “During a briefing for reporters at the DNC yesterday, Obama 2012 campaign manager Jim Messina outlined five paths that would get President Obama to 270 electoral votes. Each starts with Sen. John Kerry’s 2004 map (246 EVs): West Path: Win Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada, plus Iowa (272 EVs); Florida Path: Win the Sunshine State (275 EVs); South Path: Win North Carolina and Virginia (274 EVs); Midwest Path: Win Ohio and Iowa (270 EVs); Expansion Path: Win Arizona (272 EVs).” (Mike Allen, Politico’s “Playbook,” 12/14/11)

• COLORADO: Obama’s 2011 Approval Rating Has Fallen 4.8 Percentage Points To 40.4 Percent. (Jeffrey Jones, “Obama Approval Above 50% In 10 States And D.C. In 2011,” Gallup, 1/31/12)
• NEW MEXICO: Obama’s 2011 Approval Rating Has Fallen 6.9 Percentage Points To 41.7 Percent. (Jeffrey Jones, “Obama Approval Above 50% In 10 States And D.C. In 2011,” Gallup, 1/31/12)
• NEVADA: Obama’s 2011 Approval Rating Has Fallen 5.7 Percentage Points To 41.3 Percent. (Jeffrey Jones, “Obama Approval Above 50% In 10 States And D.C. In 2011,” Gallup, 1/31/12)
• IOWA: Obama’s 2011 Approval Rating Has Fallen 1.9 Percentage Points To 45.6 Percent. (Jeffrey Jones, “Obama Approval Above 50% In 10 States And D.C. In 2011,” Gallup, 1/31/12)
• FLORIDA: Obama’s 2011 Approval Rating Has Fallen 2.2 Percentage Points To 43.6 Percent. (Jeffrey Jones, “Obama Approval Above 50% In 10 States And D.C. In 2011,” Gallup, 1/31/12)
• NORTH CAROLINA: Obama’s 2011 Approval Rating Has Fallen 3.2 Percentage Points To 43.7 Percent. (Jeffrey Jones, “Obama Approval Above 50% In 10 States And D.C. In 2011,” Gallup, 1/31/12)
• VIRGINIA: Obama’s 2011 Approval Rating Has Fallen 2.1 Percentage Points t To 44.5 Percent. (Jeffrey Jones, “Obama Approval Above 50% In 10 States And D.C. In 2011,” Gallup, 1/31/12)
• OHIO: Obama’s 2011 Approval Rating Has Fallen 5.3 Percentage Points To 42.1 Percent. (Jeffrey Jones, “Obama Approval Above 50% In 10 States And D.C. In 2011,” Gallup, 1/31/12)
• ARIZONA: Obama’s 2011 Approval Rating Has Fallen 0.5 Percentage Points To 39.7 Percent. (Jeffrey Jones, “Obama Approval Above 50% In 10 States And D.C. In 2011,” Gallup, 1/31/12)

Media Reacting To Obama’s Weakened Poll Numbers In Key States

National Journal Headline: “Obama Struggling In Battleground States” (Josh Kraushaar, “Obama Struggling In Battleground States,” National Journal, 1/31/12)

ABC News’ Headline: “Obama Approval In Swing States Took Hit In 2011” (Devin Dwyer, “Obama Approval In Swing States Took Hit in 2011,” ABC News’ Political Punch, 1/31/12)

USA Today’s Susan Page: “Dangerous Territory For An Incumbent President.” “Dangerous territory for an incumbent president: MT @craasch: Gallup average of Obama 2011 approval average in 12 swing states was 43%.” (Susan Page, Twitter Feed, 1/31/12)

ABC News’ Devin Dwyer: Despite “Spin,” Obama “Deeply Under Water In His Bid For A Second Term.” “No matter how much President Obama’s team of re-election strategists tries to spin it, voters across the country soured on Obama in 2011, compounding a decline in his job approval ratings that have him deeply under water in his bid for a second term.” (Devin Dwyer, “Obama Approval In Swing States Took Hit in 2011,” ABC News’ Political Punch, 1/31/12)

• Dwyer:  “Perhaps Most Troublesome To Obama’s Re-Election Campaign Were The Declines Sustained In 12 General Election Battlegrounds.” “Perhaps most troublesome to Obama’s re-election campaign were the declines sustained in 12 general election battlegrounds. Support for Obama eroded across the board, with fewer voters than in 2010 approving of his performance on average in Nevada (-5.7 points), Colorado (-4.8 points), Ohio (-5.3 points), Pennsylvania (-1.3), Florida (-2.2) and New Hampshire (-2.6 points), among others. Only 41.3 percent of voters in Nevada approved of Obama last year, while 40.4 percent approved in Colorado, 42.7 percent approved in Ohio, 45 percent approved in Pennsylvania, 43.6 percent approved in Florida and just 38.7 percent approved of the president’s performance in New Hampshire. The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 1 percentage point.” (Devin Dwyer, “Obama Approval In Swing States Took Hit in 2011,”ABC News’ Political Punch, 1/31/12)

National Journal’s Josh Kraushaar: Numbers Suggest Obama “Campaign Has Been Doing A Lot Of Bluffing.” “President Obama’s re-election team has spun multiple pathways to an electoral vote majority, but a glance at his state-by-state approval ratings throughout 2011 suggests the campaign has been doing a lot of bluffing.” (Josh Kraushaar, “Obama Struggling In Battleground States,” National Journal, 1/31/12)

• Kraushaar: Obama “Solidly Underwater … In Many States, Worse Than Publicly Perceived” Including Colorado, “Major Bellwether” Nevada, And “Critical Battleground State Of Ohio.” “The bad news: His job approval ratings in the other battleground states are solidly underwater and, in many states, worse than publicly perceived.  In Colorado, seen as a gateway to aggressively contesting the Southwest, Obama scored a net -12 job approval (40/52) throughout the year. In Nevada, also seen as a major bellwether, Obama has a 41 percent approval, with 50 percent disapproving. In the critical battleground state of Ohio, a 50 percent majority of voters disapprove of his performance, with only 42 percent approving.   In the must-win state of Pennsylvania, Obama’s job approval is underwater, with 45 percent approving and 48 percent disapproving.” (Josh Kraushaar, “Obama Struggling In Battleground States,” National Journal, 1/31/12)
• Kraushaar: “Unpleasant Surprises” Includes “His Weak Standing In … Southwestern Battlegrounds.” “Some unpleasant surprises abound for the Obama campaign, too. New Mexico has been seen as a Democratic-leaning state, because of its vote history and significant Hispanic population.  But Obama’s performance there – 42 percent favorable, 51 percent unfavorable – isn’t much different than his weak standing in the other Southwestern battlegrounds.” (Josh Kraushaar, “Obama Struggling In Battleground States,” National Journal, 1/31/12)

USA Today’s David Jackson: “Obama Saw Higher 2011 Approval Ratings In Only Three States.” “Throughout the nation, Obama saw higher 2011 approval ratings in only three states: Wyoming, Connecticut and Maine. But there were declines of less than 1 percentage point in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Minnesota, New Jersey, Arizona, West Virginia, Michigan and Georgia.” (David Jackson, “Obama’s Approval Rating Above 50% In Only 10 States,” USA Today, 1/31/12)

National Review’s Jim Geraghty: “A Very Weak Position For An Incumbent President To Begin An Election Year.” “But, all things considered, this is a very weak position for an incumbent president to begin an election year.” (Jim Geraghty, “Swing States To Obama: We Don’t Approve,” National Review’s Campaign Spot, 1/31/12)