Arnold dips in latest poll

Reuters:

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's job approval rating remains high, but his support has slipped from the lofty levels during his first year in office, according to a poll released today.

A majority of California voters also believe the state is moving in the wrong direction, according to The Field Poll.

The poll found 55 per cent of registered California voters approve of Schwarzenegger's job performance and 35 per cent disapprove.

In September, 65 per cent of voters said they approved on how Schwarzenegger oversaw the state government, versus 22 per cent who said they disapproved.

The sliding job performance rating reflects an increasingly negative view among Democrats and independents of the Republican governor. By contrast, he retains overwhelming support from Republicans, according to the poll.

The survey found Californians' view of the direction their state is heading has taken a negative turn over the past five months, with 53 per cent of voters saying it is on the wrong track, compared with 35 per cent who think it is moving in the right direction.

*UPDATE* It seems ads attempting to tie Arnold to special interests are having an effect:

The poll this week shows that while nearly half of the state's registered voters still believe that Schwarzenegger considers broad public interest in his office, some 40 percent now say he caters to a few special interests. But the partisan split is dramatic: 59 percent of Democratic respondents said the governor focuses on special interests, compared to just 14 percent of Republicans. Among independents, 43 percent say he caters to special interests and 48 percent say he considers the broad public interest. The numbers represent a marked change from August, when Schwarzenegger had more bipartisan support; back then, 56 percent of registered voters said they believed Schwarzenegger's priority was the public interest and just 27 percent said it was the special interests.

This will make it tougher to sell the public on the special interest election he's proposing this fall.