Bush approval in New Hampshire: 36%....another House seat in play?

[Bluebear]

DURHAM, N.H. --Republican candidates seeking re-election to Congress from New Hampshire should be worried about President Bush's low job approval ratings, a pollster said Monday.

A Granite State Poll sponsored by WMUR-TV shows 36 percent of New Hampshire adults approving of the job Bush is doing as president, 60 percent disapproving and 3 percent neutral. Those numbers, released Monday, are similar to a poll released in July.

The poll, conducted by the UNH Survey Center, should be cause for concern for U.S. Reps. Jeb Bradley and Charles Bass, said survey center director Andrew Smith. Support for Bass in particular has been closely linked to the president's approval rating, he said. If Bush's ratings dip any lower, "Paul Hodes' chance of upsetting Bass increase," said Smith.

A poll released last week showed Hodes, Bass's Democratic challenger, gaining ground on the incumbent with 46 percent of likely voters saying they will vote for Bass, 36 percent saying they will vote for Hodes and 17 percent undecided.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2006/10/02/bushs_approval_ratings_remain_low_in_nh/