Obama's New Hampshire Support Slipping But Still Strong

By Phil Sletten on Thursday, July 9, 2009.

A new University of New Hampshire Poll shows that President Obama continues to enjoy high popularity in the state.

But as New Hampshire Public Radio’s Phil Sletten reports, the President’s numbers have slipped in some key areas.

Over sixty percent of New Hampshire residents approve of Barack Obama’s job as president so far.

But as UNH Survey Center Director Andy Smith explains, Obama’s economic approval rating has slipped to fifty-seven percent.

“This is down slightly from our April poll. And it’s happening largely because Republicans are not real happy with the handling of the economy.”

Smith says some drop is to be expected as voters start to blame Obama, instead of former President Bush, for the bad economy.

He also says that the polarization of the Bush years is starting to show up again and hurt Obama’s numbers.

“But this is a typical sort of a pattern, and it reflects what we’re seeing nationally.”

Smith points out that Obama’s economic approval is higher here than in states where the economy is worse.

For NHPR News, I’m Phil Sletten.

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