Delaware Headed in Right Direction: Castle wins popularity contest

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Tabular Results
Survey Details

According to the most recent survey results from Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind, half of Delaware voters (51%) say the state is headed in the right direction.

Majorities of both Democrats and Republicans agree the state is headed in the right direction. Only 31% of voters say the state is “on the wrong track,” and 19% say they're not sure.

“Delaware partisans are polarized in their conclusions about the President and the war in Iraq but they are not polarized when it comes to matters close to home” said Peter J. Woolley, a professor of political science at Fairleigh Dickinson University and director of the poll. PublicMind reported on September 21 that 70% of Delaware Republicans say the intervention in Iraq was the right thing to do, but only 15% of Democrats agree. Similarly, 82% of Delaware Democrats say the war was a mistake, compared to just 25% of Republicans.

A majority (54%) of Delaware voters also approve of the job Ruth Ann Minner is doing as governor, against just 38% who say they disapprove. Two-thirds of Democrats (67%) approve of the governor's performance, as well as 42% of Republicans; about half of Republicans (50%) disapprove. Her approval is highest in Newcastle County where 59% give her thumbs up.  And comparing male voters to female voters shows there is no gender gap at work here.

The governor has 5:4 ratio of favorable to unfavorable opinion. “That is quite good for any executive well into a second term,” said Woolley. In contrast to Governor Minner, Congressman Michael Castle's favorable to unfavorable opinion is better than 6 to 1. “Legislators have it easier than governors because it's easier for legislators to pick and choose what issues to emphasize or downplay,” said Woolley.

The governor's approval rating is part of a series of topics surveyed in Delaware for the first time by Fairleigh Dickinson University's independent survey research center, PublicMind.  The only independent survey on the Delaware House and Senate races, PublicMind released its Senate results on Sept. 21 and the House results on Sept. 25.

“Opinion polls play an essential role in democratic governance,” said Woolley. “Independent polls try to verify the claims of office seekers and office holders and of other policy-makers that they somehow know what the public wants and feels.”

Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind poll of 651 registered voters was conducted from September 14 through September 19 and has a margin of error of +/- 4 percentage points.

Contacts:

Contacts: Peter Woolley 973.670.3239; Dan Cassino 973.896.7072

Radio actuality line: (201) 692-2846.

For more information, please call (201) 692-7032.