Obama’s Approval Rating in Pa. at All-Time Low

President Barack Obama’s job approval rating in Pennsylvania is 53 percent on the negative side to 42 percent on the positive, an all-time low and a major drop from his 51 percent positive to 44 percent negative Feb. 17, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

Pennsylvania voters say 52-42 percent he does not deserve a second term, his worst showing on that measure also. In a mythical matchup, he gets 40 percent to an unnamed Republican challenger’s 41 percent in the 2012 presidential race.

President Obama, who carried Pennsylvania 55-44 percent in the 2008 election, is underwater mostly because of his deterioration among independent voters, who disapprove of his performance 57-37 percent, compared to 50-46 percent approval in February.

His 89-9 percent disapproval among Republicans is up from 80-15 percent disapproval in February. Democrats back him 76-18 percent, compared to 81-14 percent in February.

Other findings:

• 68 percent, including 65 percent of Democrats, say the United States should not be involved in Libya, compared to 27 percent who think the Obama policy is the right course.
• Independent voters say 56-37 percent that Obama does not deserve a second term and back an unnamed Republican challenger over the president by a smaller 36-29 percent margin.

“President Barack Obama’s re-election team has work to do in the Keystone State,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. “Although Pennsylvania has traditionally been a swing state, the size of his 2008 margin gave many observers the idea that it would not be a heavily contested state.”

“It’s still 18 months until Election Day 2012, but these numbers are not going to make the White House happy,” Brown said.

“Whether President Obama’s decline stems from rising gasoline prices, continued unhappiness with the economy overall, the war in Afghanistan and now the involvement in Libya, he can take solace from his ability to run a dead heat with a generic Republican despite his current standing with the Pennsylvania public. Perhaps this says as much about the popular view of the Republican field.”