http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/local/12912423.htmPresident Bush's approval ratings slip in Illinois
Associated Press
CHICAGO - A recent poll shows President Bush's approval rating among Illinois voters has dropped sharply since the summer, especially downstate and in Chicago's collar counties, which are traditional Republican strongholds.
Illinois voters' approval of Bush's overall performance was 33 percent, according to results from a statewide Chicago Tribune/WGN-TV poll published Sunday - down from 41 percent in a similar poll in May and from 45 percent last October. Bush lost Illinois in his presidential victory last year. Democratic nominee John Kerry won 54.8 percent of the vote compared to Bush's 44.5 percent.
The Tribune/WGN-TV poll shows 42 percent of downstate voters approve of the job Bush is doing - down from 47 percent in May and 57 percent before the election. His approval rating in Chicago's collar counties slid to 37 percent from 46 percent in May and 53 percent last fall. The latest results also show waning support among voters statewide for Bush's handling of the Iraq war and of the economy.
Statewide, 64 percent of voters said they disapproved of how Bush is handling the war in Iraq, while 27 percent approved. Just 25 percent of the respondents said they approved of the way Bush is handling the economy, with 63 percent disapproving. In Chicago, that figure climbs to 78 percent. In the collar counties, 56 percent disapprove, as do 61 percent of voters downstate.