Bush Job Approval Rating Falls Below 30% in Minnesota

President George W. Bush's approval rating has tumbled to an all time low in Minnesota—falling to 29 percent in the latest SurveyUSA poll (conducted June 8-10). Bush's descent in the Gopher state has been gradual but steady in the more than 2 years since SurveyUSA began polling Minnesota residents in monthly surveys. In May 2005 Bush's approval rating was at 47 percent. Just before the 2006 elections, in October, 35 percent approved of his job performance.

In the June SurveyUSA poll, 71 percent of Minnesota Republicans still approve of the job Bush is doing, but only 26 percent of independents—a crucial demographic totaling approximately one-quarter to one-third of Gopher State residents —and just 5 percent of Democrats.

Early in his first term—in April 2001—Bush had a healthy 56 percent approval rating in the state, which rose to 87 percent just after the 9/11 attacks (Minnesota Poll). The last public poll in Minnesota which registered a majority of the state approving of his performance was in January 2005, at 51 percent (Minnesota Poll).

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Curse of the '4'?

May 22, 2013

Big-name Republicans are not coming out of the woodwork yet to challenge Al Franken in Minnesota's 2014 U.S. Senate race, and there is not much chatter of the GOP picking off one of the five DFL-held U.S. House seats either. Over the last century, Minnesota Republican U.S. House candidates have not fared all that well in cycles ending in '4' - losing seats in five of these cycles (1914, 1924, 1944, 1954, 1974), holding serve in four others (1964, 1984, 1994, 2004), and gaining seats just one time (1934, after redistricting had been delayed one cycle with all nine seats voted at-large in 1932). Perhaps the Republican Party's best chance for a pick up in the Gopher State in 2014 is if 12-term Democrat Collin Peterson retires after nearly a quarter century on Capitol Hill. The 7th CD has the second largest GOP lean in the state.

Seasoned Senators in Wisconsin

May 2, 2013

Of the 15 men and women that have served in the U.S. Senate from Wisconsin since popular vote elections were introduced a century ago, Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin rank among the oldest upon first entering the chamber. Johnson began his tenure at the age of 55 years, 8 months, and 26 days in January 2011, which is the oldest of any elected Wisconsin Senator during this popular vote era. The next oldest, Alexander Wiley, was more than one year younger when he took his seat in 1939 (54 years, 7 months, 8 days). Tammy Baldwin comes in at #6 being 50 years, 10 months, and 23 days when she took office in January of this year. The youngest elected Senator from the Badger State was Robert La Follette, Jr. at 30 years, 7 months, and 24 days (1925) when he took the seat of his legendary deceased father.