Thread: Arizona poll: Arpaio more popular than Obama, stimulus not h

Wednesday, July 29, 2009, 3:01pm MST
Arizona poll: Arpaio more popular than Obama, stimulus not helping
Phoenix Business Journal - by Mike Sunnucks

Arizonans like Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio more than President Barack Obama and are not keen on the federal stimulus or creating a government-run health system, according a Rasmussen Reports poll.

The survey of 500 likely Arizona voters gave Obama a 46 percent approval rating compared to 57 percent for Arpaio.

Forty percent said the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is not good for the ailing economy, 32 percent said it is not making a difference and 24 percent said it is helping.

Sixty-five percent of those surveyed said securing the border is more important than figuring out what to do with illegal immigrants already in the U.S. One in 5 said legalizing undocumented immigrants is more important than border security.

The Rasmussen poll also found that 52 percent oppose creation of a government-run health system to run alongside private-sector plans, while 43 percent of Arizonans supported the idea.

Fifty-one percent would prefer to see federal action first on immigration and the border and then health care. Forty-five percent want health care addressed first.

Gov. Jan Brewer got a 48 percent approval rating in the poll while only 17 percent liked the job the Legislature was doing.

The poll backs Brewer’s push for a temporary sales tax hike to help solve the state’s budget woes. Fifty-seven percent supported a 1-cent sales tax hike if the money goes toward schools, 38 percent opposed it.

The poll was conducted July 21.

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Arpaio VS Obama