Peter Schorsch
A new poll of Florida finds President Barack Obama‘s approval rating at just 41 percent, returning him to the kind of numbers he suffered during the most difficult times of his presidency.
Fifty-five percent of Florida voters disapprove of the president’s job performance, giving Obama a net negative rating of -14. Most Florida voters also would like to see the next president depart from Obama’s policies. Asked whether they should be changed or continued, 61 percent of respondents said agreed a change in direction is needed.
The poll is part of three-state survey of Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania conducted by Quinnipiac University. The “Swing State Poll focuses” on these states because since 1960 no candidate has won the presidential race without taking at least two of those three states.
The poll also asked several questions about voter attitudes on U.S. foreign policy.
By a margin of 4-1 or higher, voters in the three critical swing states say they prefer a negotiated settlement to reduce Iran’s nuclear program rather than military intervention, according to a Quinnipiac University Swing State Poll released Wednesday.
Voters also support by margins of more than 2-1 an agreement by the U.S. and other nations to lift some of the economic sanctions against Iran if Iran restricts its nuclear program, the poll finds.
Iran is not capable of negotiating in good faith, Florida voters say 62-27 percent.
Florida voters favor negotiations with Iran rather than military action 71-18 percent. They support a settlement that lifts sanctions in return for nuclear restrictions 63-26 percent. Men and women are largely in agreement on both questions.
The Republican letter to Iran was not appropriate, voters say 55-38 percent. Turning thumbs down to the letter are Democrats 79-14 percent and independent voters 61-32 percent, while Republicans support the letter 68-26 percent.
The letter will hurt rather than help White House efforts to restrict Iran’s nuclear program, voters say 33-8 percent, with 50 percent saying it will not have an impact.
Florida voters support 65-23 percent legislation making an Iran agreement subject to congressional approval.
“President Barack Obama gets lousy grades for his job performance, although they are not quite as low as they have been at times in his second term,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac Poll. “More damning is that about five in eight voters say they want the new president to take the country in a different direction.”
