Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Missouri: Retirement Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Kit Bond Approval:

Approve 57
Disapprove 27

When PPP did some polling over the summer about Kit Bond's approval rating, he wasn't looking so hot. Our July survey found it at 39%, and in August it was 44%. Now with the news of his retirement it's climbed exponentially to 57%, which is the highest approval rating PPP has found for any Senator in the country over the last year.

Bond's new found popularity has cut across political lines. While his approval among Democrats hovered in the 20s previously, now it's up to 36%, with almost as many approving as disapproving of his job performance. He was in the 60s with Republicans, that's now up to 78. Perhaps the biggest movement has come with independents. They were evenly split in their opinions of him over the summer but now approve 59/24.

It appears that with the decision not to seek reelection Bond has perhaps taken on a sort of 'elder statesman' status beyond the battles of electoral politics that will result in his receiving higher marks from here on out.

Tomorrow PPP will release numbers showing how Robin Carnahan stacks up to Roy Blunt, Jim Talent, and Sarah Steelman in the fight to replace Bond.

Full results of today's poll here.

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