California Special Election Watch: Latest Field Poll

Reuters has Poll finds Schwarzenegger’s popularity remains low.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s popularity has not improved as he heads into the campaign season for a special election he has called for November, according to a poll released on Friday.

The Field Poll found just 36 percent of 891 registered voters approved of Schwarzenegger’s performance as governor, compared to 52 percent disapproval.

In a June Field poll, 37 percent of those surveyed approved, with 53 percent disapproving.

The latest survey, which had 3.4 percent margin of error, found that 57 percent opposed the November special election, which will consider issues such as how California draws its legislative districts.

The latest Field Poll is here.

This is continuing bad news for the Governor and what is to be expected when you allow your opponents to seize the initiative with an early media campaign.California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger waves to the crowd as he watches the game between the Oakland Athletics and the Los Angeles Angels with Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno (L) in Anaheim, California, August 30, 2005

Schwarzenegger can rebound and Flap has given his suggestions here and here.

A Fall campaign cannot happen soon enough.

The one good note for Schwarzenegger from the Field Poll:

State legislature ratings even lower than Governor’s

As poorly as voters view the Governor’s performance, their assessment of the job the state legislature is doing is even more negative. More than one-half (54%) now disapprove of the job that the lawmakers are doing and just 27% approve. Since The Field Poll began rating the performance of the state legislature more than twenty years ago, voter assessments of that body over the past two and one-half years have been among its poorest.

Voters of all political parties have a more negative than positive view of the legislature’s
performance.

If the Governor can run a modest campaign this Fall he has won this special election – even if he loses every proposition and the status quo remains.

CNN has California labor unions lack resources in special election fight.

The lack of national labor money means California’s local unions will have to pick up most of the tab for their campaigns, and they have already spent millions to discredit Schwarzenegger and his ballot measures.

Whether that will be enough to counter the campaign by Schwarzenegger and his supporters is unclear. The governor has set a goal of raising $50 million to promote the measures.

This is campaign money that will not be used against the Governor in the Fall of 2006, nor in election year propositions, nor in Democrat Primary races, nor in California State Senate or Assembly contests…..

and…. should the Paycheck Protection Initiative, Proposition 75 pass ( it is leading in the latest poll) it will freeze the ability of public employee unions to exploit their memberhsip with dedicated dues increases to fund liberal initiatives and candidates…..

Well….. you get the idea.

Technorati Tags: Arnold Schwarzenegger, California Recovery Team, California Special Election, Bear Flag League, Proposition 75, Proposition 77

Cross-posted to the Bear Flag League Special Election Page