Domenici’s approval rating continues to drop

U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici’s approval rating continues to drop.

Last month’s SurveyUSA poll, conducted March 12, found that 57 percent of New Mexicans approved and 35 disapproved of the job the New Mexico Republican is doing. It was the lowest approval rating for the senior senator since at least May 2005.

Now it’s lower. The newest poll, conducted April 13-15 and released Wednesday, has Domenici’s approval rating at 54 percent, with 38 percent saying they disapprove of the job he’s doing. The survey of 600 adults has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percent.

By comparison, those surveyed gave U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., a 60 percent approval rating.

One important factor in the poll is that, for the first time, Domenici’s approval rating among Democrats has fallen below 50 percent. It was at 49 percent in the newest poll. Last month, it was at 50 percent.

Support among Republicans also fell slightly in the past month, from 75 percent to 74 percent.

But among independents, Domenici’s approval rating took a significant dip in the last month, from 48 percent to 38 percent.

The company’s February survey, the last conducted before the U.S. attorney scandal broke, had Domenici’s overall approval rating at 64 percent. Among Republicans, he had a 79-percent approval rating that month. Among Democrats, he had a 62-percent approval rating, and 55 percent of independents approved of the job he was doing.

There’s still an ongoing inquiry by the Senate Ethics Committee into whether Domenici violated Senate rules in calling former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias in October to inquire about an ongoing public corruption probe. His approval rating might continue to drop.

Two lesser-known Democrats are running against Domenici next year, but the party has yet to find a prominent candidate.

Thanks for New Mexico FBIHOP for pointing this one out.