Friday Poll Watch: Southerners know global warming
Our latest roundup of interesting polls around the South:
* SOUTHERNERS KNOW ABOUT WARMING: 61% of Southerners in a recent Pew poll said they believe "there is solid evidence of global warming" -- the highest of any region in the country. Pew's survey found that nationally, the number who think that fell an alarming 14% over the last 18 months. The culprits? The Great Lakes and Mountain West regions (places far from rising oceans -- just sayin').
* THE ANTI-OBAMA BELT: Lots of Southerners don't, however, believe in President Obama. The latest DailyKos/Research 2000 poll finds Southern states continue to drag down Obama's national favorability numbers: Obama's favorables are +20 points in every other region of the country. In the South, they're -40. Since many African-American Southerners likely still support Obama, as they do nationally, that means his support among white Southerners is in the single digits.
* ARKANSAS [HEARTS] THE PUBLIC OPTION: Arkansas' Congressional delegation has wavered on the public option for health reform (think Lincoln, Ross), but a majority of their constituents don't. A Research 2000 poll commissioned by liberal advocacy groups found 56% of Arkansas residents said "aye" to the question "Would you favor or oppose the government offering everyone a governmentadministered health insurance plan -- something like Medicare?"
* DEEDS DONE IN VIRGINIA? A new round of polling suggests the Virginia governor's race is all but over, with Republican Attorney General Bob McDonnell all but assured to win over Democratic State Senator Creigh Deeds. Nate Silver at 538.com's take: "Deeds has virtually no chance. Did he ever have a chance? That's perhaps the better question." More Silver: "I'd attribute it about 3:1 to the national environment as opposed to anything in particular that Deeds has done."
* SOUTHERNERS KNOW ABOUT WARMING: 61% of Southerners in a recent Pew poll said they believe "there is solid evidence of global warming" -- the highest of any region in the country. Pew's survey found that nationally, the number who think that fell an alarming 14% over the last 18 months. The culprits? The Great Lakes and Mountain West regions (places far from rising oceans -- just sayin').
* THE ANTI-OBAMA BELT: Lots of Southerners don't, however, believe in President Obama. The latest DailyKos/Research 2000 poll finds Southern states continue to drag down Obama's national favorability numbers: Obama's favorables are +20 points in every other region of the country. In the South, they're -40. Since many African-American Southerners likely still support Obama, as they do nationally, that means his support among white Southerners is in the single digits.
* ARKANSAS [HEARTS] THE PUBLIC OPTION: Arkansas' Congressional delegation has wavered on the public option for health reform (think Lincoln, Ross), but a majority of their constituents don't. A Research 2000 poll commissioned by liberal advocacy groups found 56% of Arkansas residents said "aye" to the question "Would you favor or oppose the government offering everyone a governmentadministered health insurance plan -- something like Medicare?"
* DEEDS DONE IN VIRGINIA? A new round of polling suggests the Virginia governor's race is all but over, with Republican Attorney General Bob McDonnell all but assured to win over Democratic State Senator Creigh Deeds. Nate Silver at 538.com's take: "Deeds has virtually no chance. Did he ever have a chance? That's perhaps the better question." More Silver: "I'd attribute it about 3:1 to the national environment as opposed to anything in particular that Deeds has done."
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Chris Kromm
Chris Kromm is executive director of the Institute for Southern Studies and publisher of the Institute's online magazine, Facing South.