If it's in the News, it's in our Polls. Public opinion polling since 2003.

POLITICS

California: Obama 45%, Generic Republican 41%

In reliably Democratic California, the president’s Job Approval rating has fallen below 50%, and he holds only a modest lead over a Generic Republican candidate.

Data from the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll shows that just 49% of Likely Voters in California approve of the way President Obama is doing his job, while 48% disapprove. Those figures include 20% who Strongly Approve and 37% who Strongly Disapprove, giving the president an Approval Index rating of -17. While weak for a Democrat in California, those numbers are still better than the president earns nationally.

Seventy-eight percent (78%) of California Democrats approve of the president's job performance, while 82% of California Republicans disapprove. Among voters not affiliated with either major party, 47% approve, and 47% disapprove.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)

When matched against a Generic Republican, the president earns support from 45% of California voters, while the Republican attracts 41%. However, it should be noted that the president typically performs better in polls against specific named Republicans as opposed to running against a generic opponent. Nationally, the president has consistently trailed a Generic Republican in weekly matchup surveys for nearly four months. But he's been running neck-and-neck with former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney for weeks now and generally leads all other GOP hopefuls.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 500 Likely Voters in California was derived from nightly presidential tracking poll surveys conducted October 28-November 6, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Want to read more?

Become a Rasmussen Reader to read the article

Have an account?

Log In

Become a Reader

Subscribe

Rasmussen Reports is a media company specializing in the collection, publication and distribution of public opinion information.

We conduct public opinion polls on a variety of topics to inform our audience on events in the news and other topics of interest. To ensure editorial control and independence, we pay for the polls ourselves and generate revenue through the sale of subscriptions, sponsorships, and advertising. Nightly polling on politics, business and lifestyle topics provides the content to update the Rasmussen Reports web site many times each day. If it's in the news, it's in our polls. Additionally, the data drives a daily update newsletter and various media outlets across the country.

Some information, including the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll and commentaries are available for free to the general public. Subscriptions are available for $4.95 a month or 34.95 a year that provide subscribers with exclusive access to more than 20 stories per week on upcoming elections, consumer confidence, and issues that affect us all. For those who are really into the numbers, Platinum Members can review demographic crosstabs and a full history of our data.

To learn more about our methodology, click here.