Even as President Obama's approval ratings declined on a national level, the president has remained popular in his adopted home state of Illinois. But a new Chicago Tribune poll shows that stress about the economy has taken a toll on his approval ratings here as well.
According to the Tribune, in a poll of 600 registered Illinois voters, 51 percent said they approved of the job Obama has done as president while 39 percent disapproved. The numbers are not dismal, as the Tribune points out, but they have fallen in recent months.
In late August, a Rasmussen poll showed the president with a 53 percent approval rating in Illinois. In June, it was 56 percent. While these numbers are consistent with his national standings, the Tribune notes that Obama had 62 percent of the Illinois vote in 2008, and in their survey last year, he held an approval rating of 59 percent among state voters.
The majority of those who have changed their tune about Obama are unhappy about his handling of the economy. According to a national Associated Press poll released in August, 41 percent of those surveyed approve of the president's performance on the economy, down from 44 percent in April, while 56 percent disapprove. And 61 percent say the economy has gotten worse or stayed the same on Obama's watch.
The Tribune poll repeatedly references "Obama's activism," by which they mean the health care law, the economic stimulus package and his "cash for clunkers" program--which was wildly popular in Illinois.
"Not only did [Cash for Clunkers] cost the government a lot of money, but it cost me business," Schaumburg Republican Christian Szabo told the paper. "I have several customers who junked their cars and now no longer need service."
Other voters said they realize what the president is up against--saying that he shows integrity and is working toward recovery. The poll also shows strong-as-ever support from the black community, with 94 percent saying they approve of the job Obama is doing as president.
Read the full Tribune poll here.