Schwarzenegger Enjoys 60 Percent Approval Rating Despite Huge State Budget Deficit

January 16, 2008 9:59 a.m. EST

Sacramento, CA (AHN) - Despite a $14.5 billion state budget deficit, Californians still gave Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger a 60 percent approval rating. Pollsters said the former movie actor's personal appeal is strong to withstand negative voters' outlook on the state's direction.

A poll was immediately conducted by Opinion Research Corporation right after the governor bared proposed measures how to reduce the deficit.

Barbara O'Connor, communications professor at Cal State Sacramento, explained, "He still rides the wave of the outsider trying to shake up the entrenched forces of government. O'Connor added, "Voters really don't like the Legislature and tend to blame it for the state's problems, given the opportunity. They assume the governor is doing his best in an intractable situation."

Across the state, pessimism has crept in with 58 percent of respondents thinking California is on the wrong track. This way of viewing their current situation was shared by Democrats and Republicans.

Susan Erickson admitted she was bothered by Schwarzenegger's proposals how to balance the state budget, but stressed she did not blame the governor alone for all of California's fiscal problems. "He seems to have been more of a moderate than I expected... He is intelligent, and he has this image that I suppose is good for our state," Erickson said.

Voters are pinning the blame on the trickle down effect of federal mismanagement, the subprime crisis, dips in the U.S. stock market, the looming recession and the war in Iraq.

Previous approval ratings showed the California governor obtained a lower 53 percent rating on July.