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  Illinois sours on Bush
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ContributorArmyDem 
Last EditedArmyDem  Oct 15, 2005 03:42pm
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CategoryPoll
MediaNewspaper - Chicago Tribune
News DateSaturday, October 15, 2005 09:00:00 PM UTC0:0
DescriptionIraq, economy drive job approval down to 33%, stir fear in state GOP

By Jeff Zeleny and Rick Pearson
Tribune staff reporters
Published October 15, 2005, 9:00 AM CDT

Pessimism over the war in Iraq and skepticism about the economy at home have cost President Bush support among the most reliable segments of Illinois Republicans, a Tribune/WGN-TV poll shows, and now nearly 6 out of 10 voters statewide disapprove of his job performance.

The government's tepid response to Hurricane Katrina and a summer-long spike in gas prices also have helped drive Bush's job-approval rating down to 33 percent in the state, the lowest point among Illinois surveys involving his administration. A similar poll in May showed Bush's approval rating at 41 percent.

Support for Bush has dropped 14 points in the last year among Republicans, and GOP officials fear that could complicate their efforts in next year's races for Congress and governor. For the first time in his presidency, half the voters in Chicago's Republican-rich collar counties disapprove of Bush's job performance, a departure from last fall when he carried all five suburban counties.

Though Illinois voted Democratic in both of Bush's elections, including handing Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) the state's 21 electoral votes last year, dissatisfaction emerging from traditional Republican strongholds illustrates the challenges confronting the president during his second term.

In addition to Bush's low standing among voters in the collar counties of DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will, 54 percent of voters Downstate now say they disapprove of his performance. Downstate voters generally are more conservative and have in the past been more supportive of Bush. But his disapproval rating among those voters has climbed 12 percentage points since May.
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