Results from a new poll released Friday show Gov. Jim Doyle has his lowest approval rating since he took office in 2003.
According to the poll conducted by the St. Norbert College Survey Center and sponsored by Wisconsin Public Radio, the amount of people who are very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the way Doyle is doing his job has fallen to 45 percent. The poll was administered April 1-9.
His approval rating was 68 percent in the spring of 2003 and 59 percent one year ago, according to data collected by the Survey Center.
Doyle spokesperson Lee Sensenbrenner said in a statement the survey results have little importance.
""I'm sure we'll see all kinds of polls that show all kinds of things as the election season gets closer,"" Sensenbrenner said. ""But what matters right now is getting our economy back on track.""
According to UW-Madison professor of political science Charles Franklin, the slumping economy and the state's budget problems are to blame for the drop in Doyle's approval rating.
""Governor Doyle is not directly responsible for the national economy or even the Wisconsin economy, [but] he is directly responsible for managing the state budget,"" Franklin said, adding he thinks the governor is going to face a difficult budget fight with the Legislature.
Over half of the survey respondents said they do not approve of Doyle's overall plan to deal with the budget deficit, but a majority said they approve of certain specific provisions of the 2009-'11 budget, such as the income tax increase for families earning over $300,000, early release for non-violent prisoners, domestic partner benefits and the statewide smoking ban, which celebrates its fifth anniversary today.
Doyle is largely expected to run for re-election in 2010, but has not officially announced he will run again.
Franklin said if Doyle runs, he will still have time to improve his approval rating before the upcoming election. Franklin also said the importance of the approval rating will depend on the public's perception of the budget's outcome, and whether Republican opponents decide to use the rating against him.
