state after state, slowly but surely

Bush's approval down in new Maine poll
Monday,September29,2003,3:38 PM


PORTLAND (AP) -- A new poll shows Mainers have a significantly less
favorable opinion of President Bush than they did in the spring.

Critical Insights surveyed 600 randomly selected Mainers by telephone
this month. Their poll released Monday has a margin of error of 4
percentage points.

The survey finds that the president's approval rating in Maine has
fallen from 55 percent in the spring to 37 percent this month. And
approval of Bush's handling of the war in Iraq has dropped from 70
percent in the spring to 42 percent.

Meanwhile, the poll finds Gov. Baldacci's approval rating is soaring at
72 percent, with only 12 percent of respondents disapproving of his job
performance. And on the casino referendum, the poll finds proponents
side with a slight lead.

The 50-45 advantage in favor of allowing the casino's construction is
just larger than the poll's margin of error.