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December 21, 2005--The President's Sunday night speech has increased the nation's confidence concerning the situation in Iraq and the War on Terror. Confidence is up among Republicans and unaffiliateds, but not among Democrats. Fifty percent (50%) of Americans now believe that the U.S. and its allies are winning the War on Terror. That's up from 44% immediately preceding the speech. It's also the highest level of confidence in more than a year. Just 25% of Americans believe the terrorists are winning. Rasmussen Reports has asked this survey question more than 70 times over the past two years. Just once, in...

President Bush's approval rating has surged in recent weeks, reversing what had been an extended period of decline, with Americans now expressing renewed optimism about the future of democracy in Iraq, the campaign against terrorism and the U.S. economy, according to the latest Washington Post-ABC News Poll. Bush's overall approval rating rose to 47 percent, from 39 percent in early November, with 52 percent saying they disapprove of how he is handling his job. His approval rating on Iraq jumped 10 percentage points since early November, to 46 percent, while his rating on the economy rose 11 points, to 47...

President Bush's approval ratings have spiked dramatically over the last month while Congressional approval has crashed.

President Bush's approval rating is on the rebound, according to the latest Rasmussen poll - while a new survey by Newsweek shows just the opposite. Rasmussen's latest three day rolling survey shows that 46 percent of Americans approve of the way Bush is handling his job - with 53 percent giving him a thumbs down. The numbers are a marked improvement from just a week ago, when 56 percent of Americans disapproved of Bush's performance, while just 43 percent approved. The latest numbers represent "the President's highest Job Approval Rating in over a month," notes Rasmussen. Meanwhile, a new Newsweek...

The New York Times Co. said Wednesday its earnings fell by more than half in the third quarter... Net income of $23.1 million...in the July-September period, down from $48.3 million...in the comparable period a year ago. The company also said it would take an additional total charge of $35 million to $45 million over the next three quarters, beginning in the fourth quarter, for another staff reduction program it announced last month that will eliminate 500 jobs... Janet Robinson, chief executive of the Times, said in a statement it saw improved advertising growth in September, but the market in the...

Kilgore Endorsed by National Rifle Association NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre Joins Kilgore in Tour of Virginia October 6, 2005 Contact: Tim Murtaugh or Tucker Martin - (804) 421-9966 WINCHESTER - Former Attorney General and Republican nominee for Governor Jerry Kilgore today received the endorsement of the National Rifle Association. Kilgore welcomed the announcement during a tour of Virginia with NRA Executive Director Wayne LaPierre, who made campaign stops with Kilgore at rallies in Winchester, Weyers Cave, Roanoke, Abingdon and Danville. Jerry Kilgore is a lifelong supporter of the rights of law-abiding citizens to own firearms. Some of his...

Poll Watch All those trips down to the Gulf Coast appear to have had the desired effect. Richard Benedetto writes in USA TODAY: "President Bush's response to Hurricane Rita won overwhelming approval in a USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll, a marked contrast to his low marks on handling Hurricane Katrina. "Overall, 71% of those polled said they approve of Bush's response to Rita, which included presidential trips to the region before, during and after the storm. . . . "The approval of his handling of Rita also affected his overall job-approval rating.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush's standing with the public improved over the previous week as he made a highly visible effort to manage the consequences of the second major hurricane to hit the Gulf Coast in a month, a new poll out Thursday found. Bush's job approval rating in the latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll climbed to 45 percent, and 71 percent said they approved of his handling of Hurricane Rita, which struck land Saturday near the Texas-Louisiana border. The poll surveyed 1,007 adults between Monday and Wednesday, and had a margin of error of 5 percentage points. A similar poll...

President George W. Bush's job approval has risen after slumping to new lows on criticism of his handling of deadly Hurricane Katrina, two polls showed on Thursday. Bush's approval rating climbed to 45 percent in a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll taken September 26-28, up from 40 percent in a similar poll taken a week ago. A Fox News poll also showed Bush with a 45 percent approval rating. That survey, taken on September 27-28, showed a rise in Bush's standing compared to a mid-month poll that gave him a 41 percent approval rating. A high-profile response by Bush to Hurricane Rita,...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Different storm, different results for President Bush. A poll released Thursday found the president is getting much better marks from the public for his handling of the response to Hurricane Rita than he did for Katrina late last month. Katrina swept through Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana in late August, wiping out cities along the Gulf Coast and flooding New Orleans. The Bush administration and state and local officials have been criticized for a sluggish response. Seven in 10 respondents say they approve of Bush's response to Rita, while 22 percent disapprove, a CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll found. Only...

Saturday September 10, 2005--Forty-eight percent (48%) of American adults now approve of the way George W. Bush is performing his role as President. Fifty-two percent (52%) disapprove. Eighty-four percent (84%) of Republicans now give the President their Approval. That positive assessment is shared by 20% of Democrats and 38% of those not affiliated with either major party. ... During 2004, reports on the President Job Approval were based upon surveys of Likely Voters. Typically, a survey of Likely Voters would report a Job Approval rating 2-3 points higher than a survey of all adults. On Election Day, the President's Job...

Thursday September 08, 2005--Forty-six percent (46%) of American adults now approve of the way George W. Bush is performing his role as President. Fifty-three percent (53%) disapprove. Thirty-seven percent (37%) of Americans now Strongly Disapprove of the President's job performance while just 25% Strongly Approve. Earlier in the year, those numbers were essentially even. Looking ahead to Election 2006, the Missouri Senate race between Republican Jim Talent and Democrat Claire McCaskill starts out in a dead heat. When looking at the disaster in New Orleans and surrounding areas, just 28% of Americans say that the federal government has done a...

SEP. 9 2:31 P.M. ET Four years after the worst terrorist attacks on U.S. soil, nearly three quarters of Americans believe the government did a good job helping the economy recover from Sept. 11. An AP-Ipsos poll found there was general satisfaction with the economic relief efforts from Congress and the Bush administration among people in all gender, race, educational and age categories.

Hurricane Katrina may give President Bush the opportunity to increase his low approval ratings. In fact, his overall rating did rise on the last day of the poll, after he returned to the White House from his ranch in Crawford, Texas, and addressed the nation on the crisis in the Gulf Coast. But in the early days of this crisis, many Americans are withholding judgment about his handling of it. Fifty-four percent approve of the way the President is handling Hurricane Katrina, and only 12 percent disapprove -- but one-third can't say yet. This question was added to the poll...

Sunday August 28, 2005--Forty-nine percent (49%) of American adults now approve of the way George W. Bush is performing his role as President. That's the most positive assessment since August 2. It is not clear whether this improvement reflects real change or is merely statistical noise. Fifty percent (50%) disapprove. Eighty-three percent (83%) of Republicans Approve of the President's performance along with 23% of Democrats and 36% of those not affiliated with either major party. ... Cindy Sheehan, the woman who maintained an anti-War protest outside President Bush's ranch, is viewed favorably by 35% of Americans and unfavorably by 38%....

Friday June 03, 2005--Fifty-three percent (53%) of American adults approve of the way George W. Bush is performing his role as President. That's his highest level of Approval in nearly three months. It remains to be seen whether this reflects a lasting change or merely statistical noise. Forty-six percent (46%) disapprove of the President's performance. The President's Approval Rating has been at the 50% level or above on six of the last seven days (and nine of the last twelve). Fifty-seven percent (57%) of men give the President's performance their Approval along with 49% of women. Sixty-seven percent (67%) of...

Released: April 26, 2005 Red/Blue Divide Still Evident: Red States Give Bush 50% Job Approval, 42% in Blues; War on Terror Bush’s Strength—Low Marks on Other Facets of Job; Handling of Social Security Nets Lowest Score; Bush Would Still Beat Kerry Today (46% to 41%), New Zogby Poll Reveals President George W. Bush, despite low marks on most facets of his job, would still beat Democrat John Kerry (46% to 41%)—and would still win handily in the Red States that handed him his re-election victory last fall (50% to 36%). That’s the finding of a new Zogby International survey of...

Kilgore Opens Strong In VA A couple days ago I was bemoaning the lack of polls from Virginia. Today, Survey USA fills that void. VIRGINIA GOVERNOR Kilgore (R) 46% Kaine (D) 36% Potts (I) 6% Good to see Kilgore has a double-digit lead even when the “Independent-Republican” candidate is included. Looking at the demographics, it is hard to say the Potts is hurting either Kilgore or Kaine, more like he is taking votes away from both equally. This poll was done March 8-9 of 493 registered voters.

President George W. Bush would still top 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry in a repeat of the 2004 presidential race (46%-42%), while support for third parties would climb to 7%, a new Zogby International poll reveals. The same poll finds that, given the chance to elect Bush to a third term, just 29% of likely voters say they would do so, while 58% would choose someone new. The telephone survey of 1010 likely voters was conducted from February 25 to 27, 2005, and has a margin of error of +/-3.2 percentage points. The same survey found the President's job approval...