Poll: Sandoval’s approval rating robust, Obama looks vulnerable in Nevada and state lawmakers not held in high esteem

Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2012 | 11:22 a.m.

Gov. Brian Sandoval’s approval ratings have substantially increased as have Nevadans' views of the incrementally improving economy, but voters still have a very negative view of the Legislature and are ambivalent about President Barack Obama.

Those are some of the findings – I released some Monday elsewhere on the blog – of a survey by Public Opinion Strategies of 500 likely voters (MOE of 4.4 percent) from Feb. 21-23 for the Retail Association of Nevada.

Sandoval’s approval ratings (63-25) are well up from the last time POS measured him in September – (50-33) – and surely among the more robust in the country. That has to be tied to the economic uptick and his personal likability.

The numbers on the president (49 percent would rather see someone else in the White House) and the Legislature (a few questions should scare incumbents) are not all that surprising.

The survey also found more than half of the state’s voters think their tax burden is about right and only 18 percent think it is too high, but voters remain schizophrenic on taxes and cuts – they prefer tax increases to preserve education (which may help skew the results) but strongly believe tax increases will hurt business and that there is plenty of waste in government. They are also split on a proposed margin tax.

By a huge margin, (67-27), voters believe legislative spending should be capped, but a substantial number (57-27) think tax increases on the ballot should not be subject to the two-thirds rule that binds the Legislature when it comes to taxes.

Voters trust the governor much more than they do the Legislature.

I have posted the poll and some charts at right.

More on "Face to Face" this evening.....