Thread: Just 23% Have A Favorable Opinion of Napolitano

Just 23% Have A Favorable Opinion of Napolitano

Friday, May 13, 2011

President Obama this week praised Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano for her efforts to fight illegal immigration, but she remains the most unpopular member of the president's Cabinet.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 43% of Likely Voters have an unfavorable impression of the former Arizona governor, including 24% with a Very Unfavorable opinion of her. Just 23% view the former Arizona governor favorably, with six percent who regard her Very Favorably. One-out-of-three voters (34%) don’t know enough about Napolitano to offer any kind of opinion of her. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

These findings show little change from early March. In early December 2008, just after Obama nominated Napolitano to her current position, 30% of voters had a favorable opinion of her, while 25% did not. But 43% didn’t know her well enough to voice an opinion.

Napolitano has since been criticized for controversial airport security measures and what many feel is a half-hearted effort to stop illegal immigration. The president in the same speech in which he praised the Homeland Security secretary encouraged Congress to move forward on immigration reform, saying his administration has “strengthened border security beyond what many believed was possible." But just 30% of voters think the U.S. border with Mexico is even somewhat secure, while 64% disagree and say it is not secure.

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on May 11-12, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

While Napolitano is one of the better-known Cabinet members, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood is not. Fifty-four percent (54%) of voters don't enough about the former Republican congressman to have an opinion of him.

Sixteen percent (16%) have a favorable impression of LaHood, including four percent (4%) with a Very Favorable opinion. Thirty percent (30%) have an unfavorable opinion of the Transportation secretary, with 12% who view him Very Unfavorably. These findings, too, show little change from March.

Democrats view Napolitano more favorably than Republicans and voters not affiliated with either of the major parties do. But, interestingly, she is considerably better known by GOP voters than by Democrats.

Most Republicans, Democrats and unaffiliated voters share no opinion of LaHood.

For a complete breakdown of favorable ratings on each member of the president’s Cabinet, please go here. Platinum Members have access to the full history of data for each member.

New legislation being considered by the House would stop all federal funding for cities that give sanctuary to illegal immigrants, and most voters like the idea. But very few believe Congress is likely to pass such a measure.

The killing of Osama bin Laden brought back memories of September 11, 2001 for many, and, just a few months short of the 10th anniversary of those horrendous events, most Americans believe the attacks changed the country for the worse.

Still, 51% of voters nationwide now say the United States is safer today than it was before the 9/11 attacks. That’s up from 39% in April and is the highest level of confidence measured since April 2009.

LaHood was an early supporter of a mileage tax for highway maintenance, and now the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has suggested a mileage tax for drivers as a way to pay for the Obama administration’s plans to spend $556 billion over six years on transportation projects. But Americans nationwide remain firmly opposed to a tax based on the number of miles they drive.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_ ... napolitano

Wow looks like her ratings went up. I didn't think Napolitana had that high a rating.