Rising Gas Prices Have Dented Obama's Rating: Poll [View all]

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Source: ABC News

Rising Gas Prices Have Dented Obama's Rating: Poll


More than half of Americans for the first time expect Barack Obama to be re-elected - but that won't make it easy: Even as expectations have moved his way, rising gas prices have dented the president's rating on handling the economy, his overall job approval has slipped back under 50 percent and he's reverted to a dead heat in public preferences against Mitt Romney.

The results of the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll mark two political realities: One, the sharp division of public attitudes for and against Obama, with continued greater intensity of sentiment among his critics. And two, the damaging political effects of rising gasoline prices, which have surpassed the federal budget deficit as Obama's single weakest issue.

Americans by a broad 65-26 percent disapprove of how the president is handling the price of gas, which has gained 49 cents a gallon this year to an average $3.79. Strong critics outnumber strong approvers by nearly 4-1. And it's important: A vast 89 percent are concerned about the recent run-up in gas prices; 66 percent are "very" concerned about it.

The survey, produced for ABC by Langer Research Associates, shows a broader impact, underscoring the risk to Obama. His approval rating on handling the economy overall has lost 6 points in a month, to 38 percent, a mere 3 points from his career low in October. Intensity again is highly negative: Fifty percent strongly disapprove of the president's work on the economy, up 9 points to a new high in his presidency.

Challenging as that is for Obama, perceived weakness in his Republican opposition counteracts some of these views. Fifty-four percent of Americans now expect the president to win a second term, up by 8 points from January and by a sharp 17 points from October, before employment gains breathed new life into his then-dim prospects.

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Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/election-expectations-move-obamas-way-yet-rising-gas-040142901--abc-news.html