Obama Approval Rating Dips Below 60 Percent in Minnesota

It took nearly half a year, but President Barack Obama's approval rating finally fell below the 60 percent mark in the Gopher State, according to the latest round of monthly polls conducted by SurveyUSA.

Obama had previously notched an approval rating between 61 and 64 percent during the first five months of SurveyUSA polling from January through May. In the new mid-June poll taken of 600 Minnesota adults, 59 percent approve of the job Obama is doing as president, with 36 percent disapproving.

Of the more than a dozen states tracked by SurveyUSA each month, Obama only received a higher approval rating in California (65 percent), New York (64 percent), and Washington (63 percent).

The modest (and within the margin of error) two-point rating drop Obama experienced in Minnesota from May to June paled in comparison to the decrease in support he experienced in states such as Iowa (-9 points), New Mexico (-9), and New York (-7).

Despite a slight decline in approval ratings in each of the last two months, the Gopher State's appraisal of the President remains the most static of all the states tracked by SurveyUSA since January. With a high of 64 percent (January) and a low of 59 percent (June), Minnesota's favorable evaluation of the president's job performance has ranged within just 5 points since Inauguration Day.

By contrast, Obama's high and low approval marks have ranged by 11 or more points in 10 of the other 12 states, with Washington (7-point range) and Virginia (8 points) being the second and third most stable in their evaluation of the president's job performance behind Minnesota.

The neighboring states of Iowa (11 points) and Wisconsin (17 points) have more than double and triple the variation of Minnesota respectively in terms of the approval rating they give President Obama.

Range in President Barack Obama Job Approval Rating, January - June 2009

State	High	Low	Range
Minnesota	64	59	5
Washington	69	62	7
Virginia	62	54	8
Iowa	68	57	11
Oregon	68	56	12
New Mexico	65	53	12
New York	78	65	13
Alabama	60	46	14
California	77	63	14
Missouri	65	51	14
Kentucky	62	47	15
Wisconsin	70	53	17
Kansas	62	44	18

Note: SurveyUSA monthly polling data compiled by Smart Politics.

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