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Nixon job approval rating at 61 percent, according to GOP pollster

Mo. Gov. Jay Nixon, pictured here during his 2011 State of the State address, had a 61 percent job approval rating to start the year, according to a GOP pollster. (UPI/Bill Greenblatt)
Mo. Gov. Jay Nixon, pictured here during his 2011 State of the State address, had a 61 percent job approval rating to start the year, according to a GOP pollster. (UPI/Bill Greenblatt)

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has an approval rating of 61 percent, POLITICO's Dave Catanese reports, but that number has a bit of nuance behind it.

An interesting caveat, Catanese points out, is that the data behind the approval rating was from a survey conducted by pollster Public Opinion Strategies, an organization aligned with the GOP, not Nixon's Democratic party. The survey was was conducted on behalf of an issues-advocacy group and obtained by POLITICO, Catanese says.

Public Opinion Strategies also lists the Missouri GOP as one of its clients on its website, though a spokesperson for Public Opinion Strategies told Catanese that the company "has not done any work for the Missouri GOP in years."

What else did the survey show? Catanese shares:

  • "It also found that Nixon's 61 percent job approval is up 17 points since February 2009. 
  • Just 26 percent of the 600 registered voters polled disapproved of Nixon's tenure. 
  • Of the 61 percent approving, 13 percent strongly approved of the governor.
  • Another question found that 44 percent of Missourians think the state is heading in the right direction, with 39 percent disagreeing.  That "right track" number is also up seven points since February 2009."

A few more details about the survey, and the survey participants, according to Catanese:

  • "Nixon was the only politician tested in the survey, which predominantly focused on a narrow issue in Missouri.  
  • The poll included 31 percent Republicans, 29 percent Democrats and 36 percent independents
  • The poll was taken between Jan. 23-25 this year."