Iowans disapprove of Obama’s job performance, new poll says

DES MOINES - President Barack Obama continues to post lackluster approval ratings in the key swing states of Iowa, Colorado and Virginia, which could weigh down the Democratic Party's 2016 presidential nominee, according to findings of a new poll issued Thursday.

In Iowa, 40 percent of the 1,236 likely Iowa voters surveyed in a Quinnipiac University Swing State Poll from June 9-20 approved of the job Obama is doing as president, while 56 percent disapproved. The margin of error for the Iowa sampling was 2.8 percent. Similarly, the president's disapproval rating was 56 percent in Colorado and 51 percent in Virginia, according to poll results released Thursday.

'Conventional political wisdom is that a presidential candidate rises and falls along with the president of his/her own party,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.

'But the current relationship between Secretary Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama is uncanny. Although the questions of the president's job approval and candidate Clinton's favorability rating are different, the results are almost identical.”

Clinton's unfavorable ratings are 56 percent in Colorado, 56 percent in Iowa and 50 percent in Virginia, Brown said, while Obama's job disapproval ratings are 56 percent in Colorado, 56 percent in Iowa and 51 percent in Virginia.

'These numbers argue that whoever wins, the Democratic nominee needs President Obama to improve his standing with voters, at least in these three states,” Brown concluded.

In other poll findings, Brown said voters in Iowa, Colorado and Virginia believe by margins of more than 2-1 that climate change is caused by human activity, and the same percentages agree with Pope Francis' call to do more to address problems associated with climate change.

'There is a big partisan split as Democrats in Colorado, Iowa and Virginia agree with the pope on climate change, while Republicans disagree,” said Brown.

In Iowa, voters agree 65 percent to 25 percent with Pope Francis' call for action on climate change, with agreement of 90 percent among Democrats and 69 percent among independents. while Republicans disagree by a 44 percent to 40 percent margin.

On other social issues included in the Quinnipiac survey, Iowa voters indicated they support same-sex marriage 51 percent to 40 percent and support the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide by a margin of 51 percent to 44 percent. They oppose 55 percent to 39 percent a constitutional amendment allowing states to ban same-sex marriage.

Iowa voters opposed allowing businesses to refuse service to gays and lesbians, 58 percent to 36 percent, but they were evenly divided. 46 percent to 46 percent. in situations where a business owner indicates that homosexuality violates his/her religious beliefs.

'In Iowa, how independent voters feel about the treatment of gays by businesses shows the impact of religion,” Brown said. 'By 56 (percent to) 39 percent, those independents say companies should not be able to refuse service to gay customers. But by 53 (percent to) 40 percent, they say denying service would be OK if serving gays violated the company owner's religion.”

Iowa voters also indicated they oppose the Affordable Care Act by a margin of 53 percent to 41 percent.