Politics

Rehberg shows slight lead in MSUB poll results

Posted: Oct 11, 2012 1:23 PM by Angela Douglas - MTN News

BILLINGS - The second round of results from the MSU-Billings poll on national, state and local issues slightly favor the Denny Rehberg campaign.

According to the poll results, Rehberg is ahead of Tester 43% to 40% - essentially a dead heat with the 4.6% margin of error. The undecided are still upwards of nearly 12%.

Besides the U.S. Senate race, Thursday's report shows opinions on the attorney general race, job performance of Gov. Schweitzer and Sen. Baucus, and some views on ballot issues and the XL Keystone pipeline.

The Republican party is leading in the attorney general race. The poll reports Tim Fox has 39% of the votes, while Pam Bucy received 25%. More than a third of Montana voters remain undecided.

Governor Brian Schweitzer has the support of more than half the state, with 61% approving of his job performance.

U.S. Senator Max Baucus received a mixed response from Montana voters. According to the poll, 42.5% approve of the job he's doing, while 40% disapprove.

Nearly 75% of Montana voters support the building of the Keystone XL Pipeline.

When asked how their current economic situation compares to four years ago, 43% of Montana voters say they are worse off. Just over 20% report they are better off, while nearly 34% say their situation is about the same.

This is the 24th year the survey has been conducted and during that time, 26 surveys have been completed.

The poll reports summarize the results of a statewide random sample telephone survey of adult Montanans who said they were both registered and likely to vote. The poll was conducted in September.