Pawlenty's approval rating is highest ever

His savvy handling of the bridge disaster impressed people, an expert says.

By Bob Von Sternberg, Star Tribune

Last update: August 15, 2007 - 11:33 PM

In the wake of the Minneapolis bridge collapse, Gov. Tim Pawlenty's approval rating has climbed to its highest level recorded during his tenure in office, a new poll shows.

The poll, conducted by SurveyUSA over the past weekend, found that 59 percent of Minnesotans approve of the job Pawlenty is doing at a time when the aftermath of the collapse has thrust him into the national spotlight. By comparison, 37 percent of Minnesotans disapprove of his job performance and 4 percent have no opinion. The poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Those results amount to what the poll's analysts call a "Plus 22" rating for Pawlenty; as recently as last month, his rating was "Plus 11," with 53 percent of Minnesotans approving of his performance and 42 percent disapproving. Last October, a month before he was narrowly reelected, his job approval rating stood at "Minus 7" percentage points.

Pawlenty's job approval rating is high among nearly all demographic groups, but poll analysts point out that despite what they call "coming together among all Minnesotans," a partisan divide persists, with 90 percent of Republicans approving of Pawlenty's job performance, compared with 54 percent of independents and 39 percent of Democrats approving.

University of Minnesota political science Prof. Larry Jacobs, who specializes in opinion polling, said the result "shows the governor hit the wave of public sentiment after the disaster. The tone of his comments was reassuring and hopeful, even as he acknowledged the enormity of the tragedy."

Jacobs said he believed that Minnesotans also were impressed with "his quick pivot to get past the deadlock on a transportation tax increase. He has played the public relations and political part of this disaster brilliantly."

By comparison, President Bush's job approval rating remains dismal in Minnesota, as it has been in several recent national polls. SurveyUSA found that 31 percent of Minnesotans approve of the job Bush is doing, while 66 percent do not. Only 3 percent have no opinion.

Bob von Sternberg • 612-673-7184

Bob Von Sternberg • vonste@startribune.com

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