In battleground races in six states crucial to Republicans' hopes to take over control of the Senate, voter disapproval of President Obama is dragging down Democratic dreams of victory.
A new
Gallup Poll, taken between July 1 and Oct. 15, shows that in Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas and North Carolina, Obama's dismal popularity is hurting Democratic candidates.
Obama's approval rating is at or below the national average in five of the six states, while only in Colorado, where his approval rating is 46 percent, does Obama fare comparatively well, the poll notes.
An
ABC News/Washington Post poll on Obama's approval rating shows that only 44 percent of those surveyed said they hold a favorable opinion of Obama, while half of all adults, and 53 percent of likely voters, view him unfavorably.
Nationally, Gallup recently reported that Obama's overall approval rating was just 42 percent, the
Washington Examiner reports, noting that in the six states, Republicans "are either tied or leading in all of them."
In Arkansas, Obama's approval rating is just 29 percent, in Kansas it is 33 percent and in Iowa, it is only 38 percent, Gallup found. He does somewhat better in Georgia and North Carolina, at 41 percent and 42 percent respectively, and climbs to 46 percent in Colorado.
"Obama is not doing the Democratic candidates in these six states any favors with his sub-par approval ratings. Only in one state is the president's approval rating above his national figure, or anywhere close to approaching the majority level" Gallup analyst Andrew Dugan wrote.
"Obama's lackluster approval rating will probably be a deterrent in motivating less-attached Democratic adults to vote, while in turn providing a turnout motivator for Republicans who are eager to deliver a blow to the president by making him deal with a unified Republican Congress in his last two years."
In Arkansas, for example, Public Policy Polls shows Republican challenger Tom Cotton with an eight-point lead over incumbent Sen. Mark Pryor and
RealClearPolitics' average shows Cotton with a seven-point lead.
North Arkansas College political scientist
John Gripka told Ozarks First, "Right now, he's (Obama's) polling as being quite unpopular to the American public, so if Republicans can attach Democrats to that Obama agenda, that is a plus, and a win for them."
Gallup notes that Arkansas has seen a shift among those who identify as Republicans.
Party identification was nearly even during the first six months of 2014, but today, 47 percent identify as Republicans in that state.