Obama approval jumps to 58% in RI; second-best state for prez
August 1st, 2012 at 11:03 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
Rhode Islanders are back on the Obama bandwagon.
The president’s approval rating in Rhode Island jumped to 58% during the first half of this year, according to a new Gallup poll released Wednesday.
That’s up from Obama’s 49% approval rating here in 2011 but below the 67% he scored in 2009. His disapproval rating was 32%, down from 39% last year, according to Gallup.
The only state that gave Obama higher marks than Rhode Island this year was his birthplace of Hawaii, where his approval rating stood at 63%. They are among just 13 states where a majority of voters approved of the president’s job performance. His approval rating was 55% in Massachusetts but only 26% in Utah.
Gallup surveyed 323 Rhode Islanders by telephone between Jan. 1 and June 30. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 to 8 percentage points depending on the state. In Rhode Island 10% of those surveyed told Gallup they had no opinion on the president’s job performance, more than in most states.
The new poll offers fresh evidence that Republican Mitt Romney stands next to no chance of winning Rhode Island in November. The state’s voters haven’t backed a Republican since Ronald Reagan in 1984. A strong showing by Obama in November could also help endangered Democratic Congressman David Cicilline.
Obama won a smashing victory in Rhode Island in 2008, taking 63% of the vote against Republican John McCain’s 35%. It was the state’s largest presidential landslide since 1968, when Democrat Hubert Humphrey won 64% of Rhode Islanders’ votes against just 32% for Republican Richard Nixon.
• Related: Study: RI’s swing voters make it ‘most elastic state’ in the US (June 21)
Tags: barack obama, campaign 2012, democrats, gallup, politics, polls
Nesi's Notes covers politics and the economy in and around Rhode Island for WPRI.com. (Twitter: 
Rhode Islanders have not learned yet, that people cannot depend on government. Stating that and your report that 19% of Rhode Islanders are underemployed and 11% are unemployed, Rhode Island will see more people leaving the state in the next few years. This will leave a lower tax base, more foreclosed houses, and abandoned buildings. You better remember that is Febuary 2013 Bank America leaves “The Superman” building. Paliono already has his empire of empty buildings. Who are going to be the tenets of that obsolete building? Or the other obsolete and decrepit buildings all around the state? Too bad you people don’t realize you can change the direction of the state by voting out all the incumbents.
Sad to see that Rhode Islanders are content to accept the government handouts that the Messiah keeps bankrupting the country to appease them with. Once inflation hits and Rhode Island unemployment hits 30 percent (conservative estimate) it is giong to be a rude awakening. Illinois, California and all the welfare states are going bankrupt us and unfortunately it looks like 58% of the people of Rhode Island could care less. Tax the rich, feed the poor until there are no rich no more. (Ten Year’s After)
Obama’s hope and change. I sure HOPE after Obama finishes handing out my tax money to unions, illegal aliens and every other loser with their hand out that I have at least some CHANGE left in my pocket.
I was not surprised to hear RI support for This President has gone up. Ri has never been accused of knowing good politicians .
You are not kidding! Buddy Cianci being mayor for 22 years. I would like to know why the people of Providence would put up with that little inadquate punk for that long. Too many Godfather, Goodfellas, Jersey Shore wannabes, in Rhode Island.
Sadly, these numbers seem to correlate to how many people are living off of the system. It’s a welfare and sanctuary state living off of the backs of the remaining fools who still “work” here trying to fix this animal.
I totally agree with Ed and Bob. Rhode Islanders will never learn. We cannot depend on government handouts. If this continues…..they will bleed the workers and wealthy dry and then what will happen?? No where to turn now…let’s take all their money they make for sitting there and telling us what we can or cannot do! Socialism is coming and that has failed in every country that went in that direction. My fear is,this country will have an uprising/revolution, to protect what our country was built on. Some of us work 2 to 3 jobs to keep up…and we do not to give our money to those who DO NOT work and illegals that only come here for a had out. Ellis Island should have never have been closed. My grandparents came here from Italy… no handouts. They had to rely on family already here and my grandfather had to have a job. Rhode Islanders, wake up……..stop voting the same people in and the liberals…. This is not like it use to be in the old days in which workers were protected. It is now the workers have to give up their hard earned money to government handouts!!
It shows how nonrepresentative the Obama haters who frequently post.
I think while President Obama has made some mistakes (expanding Afghan war for example) his administration has succeeded in stopping the downward economic spiral he inherited, helped save the auto industry while improving auto efficiency, insisted on clean-up of upwind coal power plants, expanded civil rights for gays, defended reproductive freedom, extended help for the long-term unemployed, started to invest in our railroads, infrastructure and alternate energy, improved relations with allies, and curbed the worse abuses of credit card and health insurers while passing a law to address many (but not all!) aspects of our health care system. All the while maintaining a civil tone in face of relentless, sometimes hysterical opposition and a Republican party more interested in bringing him down than helping our country. Rhode Islanders should be proud of giving this support.
Barry are you a gay, illegal welfare accepting Bush Blamer in the cesspool formally known as Rhode Island?