Burns dropping; Schweitzer soaring
By CHARLES S. JOHNSON, IR State Bureau - 05/29/2006
HELENA — Embattled U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns’ job-approval rating is nose-diving, while Gov. Brian Schweitzer’s score is rising, a new Lee Newspapers poll shows.
In a poll taken last week, Burns, a Republican seeking re-election to a fourth term, saw his positive job-approval score dip to 38 percent from 51 percent in a Lee poll six months ago. In May 2005, Burns had a 59 percent job-approval score in a Lee poll, and he was at 63 percent in December 2004.
Burns has faced a withering attack from Montana Democrats for more than a year over his ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The lobbyist, his associates and their tribal clients donated nearly $150,000 to Burns’ campaign funds-more than any other member of Congress received.
Burns’ job-approval score has been worse in the polls that Mason-Dixon Polling & Research of Washington, D.C., has done for Lee Newspapers since 1990. In May 1994, Burns bottomed out at 33 percent, but the Republican went on to defeat Democrat Jack Mudd in the general election by a 62 to 38 percent margin.
The Lee poll of 625 registered voters, who said they regularly vote in state elections, was taken May 22-24. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points, Schweitzer’s job-approval score was at 69 percent in the latest Lee poll, the highest of top Montana elected officials rated by voters in the survey.
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Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer