Gov. Bill Owens' refusal to campaign for gun control with President Clinton will not hurt Owens, nor have much effect on the gun control initiative. Owens' job approval rating tops Clinton's by 13 percentage points among Colorado voters.

In fact, Bill Clinton's presence in Colorado recently and his avid support of the gun control initiative could do more harm than good to the effort. He is a polarizing figure and some voters may be disaffected if he appears to use the issue for his own agenda or Democrat party purposes.

Owens' popularity, combined with Clinton's sensitivity to the issue, were no doubt reasons that Clinton repeatedly referred to Owens' support of the gun control measure while addressing the issue in Colorado.

QUESTION:
Do you approve or disapprove of the job performance of the following political leaders?

Clinton's job approval of 48 percent is a record low. Even in the midst of the Lewinsky and impeachment controversies, Clinton scored 58 percent in February of 1998 and 60 percent in February of 1999. The latest approval number may reflect an end-of-term slump combined with the so-called Clinton fatigue.

Owens' high approval is a marked improvement for a conservative Republican who won with only a 7,000-vote margin in 1998. His new strength reflects success in solving transportation bottlenecks and cutting taxes. He has also disarmed many critics by supporting moderate policies on gun control such as closing the gun show loophole and advocating smart growth initiatives which address intense public concern on the two issues.

Owens received his best scores, not surprisingly, among Anglo voters, non-union and evangelic households, and among Republicans. He currently has majority support among Hispanic voters and unaffiliated voters. He has a plurality among Democrats.

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Governor Bill Owens Job Approval Approve Disapprove Don't Know TOTAL 61% 21% 18% White 62% 22% 16% Hispanic 52% 18% 30% Black 45% 9% 46% . Union Member 45% 34% 22% Non-Member 64% 19% 18% . Evangelical 71% 12% 17% Non-Evangelical 61% 27% 12% . Male 62% 18% 20% Female 61% 23% 16% . Democrat 48% 30% 22% Republican 77% 10% 14% Unaffiliated 55% 25% 20% Ciruli Associates, N600, 2000

Related Links: April Variable for More on Owens Ratings | March Presidential Poll