By Bob Benenson CQ Staff
“As popular as Barack Obama ” is a label coveted these days by any politician — and maybe even more prized by incumbents of the beleaguered Republican Party who face re-election contests in 2010 the first midterm election year of Democrat Obama’s presidency. And according to the latest Quinnipiac University poll in Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is one of those Republicans who can wear Obama-like approval ratings as a badge of honor.
The survey of 1370 Florida voters taken Jan. 14-19 showed 67 percent of respondents held a favorable opinion of Crist who was elected governor in the 2006 race to succeed term-limited Republican Jeb Bush. Those who said they disapproved totaled 21 percent with 10 percent saying they did not know enough to answer and 2 percent declining to state an opinion.
These numbers for Crist two years into his term were comparable to those enjoyed by Obama in Florida during his pre-inauguration national “honeymoon.” Obama scored a 66 percent favorable rating in the poll taken in the six days immediately before his swearing-in well above the 51 percent of the vote he took in scoring a key electoral vote victory in Florida last November. While 48 percent of the state’s voters favored Republican John McCain for president just 16 percent of the poll respondents said they disapproved of Obama with 12 percent saying they didn’t know enough and 5 percent declining to answer.
On the separate question of Crist’s job performance a comparable 65 percent approved to 24 percent who disapproved and 11 percent who said they did not know or who wouldn’t answer.
These strong numbers do not necessarily mean Floridians are prepared at this early date to sign off on a second term for Crist. He received less than a majority — 47 percent — to 27 percent for an unnamed Democrat when respondents were asked about their choice if the 2010 election were held that day. The other 27 percent said they did not know or did not answer.
He is expected to seek re-election in a state where Obama claimed the 27 electoral votes last year; the Democrats scored a net gain of three U.S. House seats over the past two election cycles cutting the Republicans’ once-daunting 18-7 edge to 15-10; and Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson won re-election easily in 2006 over Republican Rep. Katherine Harris who was known for her past role as the state’s top elections official during the controversial Florida vote count that clinched the 2000 presidential race for Republican George W. Bush .
But the partisan breakdown on Crist’s poll numbers show that his image as a Republican centrist particularly on social issues is helping him build support across party lines. A solid 58 percent of Democratic respondents and 68 percent of independents joined 72 percent of Republicans in approving of Crist’s performance as governor.
Compare this to the numbers for first-term Republican Sen. Mel Martinez whose job approval rating in the Quinnipiac poll was 42 percent positive 30 percent negative and 28 percent don’t know/no answer. The tepid approval ratings that have long shadowed Martinez factored into his decision announced in early December to forgo a bid in 2010 for a second Senate term.
