WASHINGTON – Californians have an overwhelmingly negative view of Congress, with two of every three voters disapproving of its performance, according to the latest Field Poll.
Only 23 percent said they approve of the way Congress is conducting itself. It's the highest disapproval rate since 1996.
Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco doesn't fare much better, with more Californians rating her negatively than positively. About one in three – or 34 percent – gave her good marks, while nearly half – 44 percent – said they disapprove of her performance. That's a sharp turnaround from March, when 48 percent approved and 35 percent disapproved.
The poll found that more Californians approved than disapproved of the state's Democratic senators, Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, continuing a pattern of recent years.
Feinstein received a job approval rating of 46 percent, while 35 percent disapproved. And 44 percent approved of Boxer's performance, while 37 percent disapproved.
But Feinstein's job approval rating is her lowest since 1996, and Boxer's disapproval rating is its highest since 1995.
Field Poll director Mark DiCamillo said the poll reflects the partisan fights in Washington.
"It's a more partisan environment now than it was earlier in the year because they're dealing with policy," he said.
"They're dealing with this big issue of health care. And with Boxer, there's also this view of her on climate change, which will be taking center stage as soon as health care is done. … She's going to be in the midst of that."
The poll shows that Boxer, who's up for re-election in 2010, is more polarizing than Feinstein. Boxer has an approval rating of 66 percent among Democrats, while only 12 percent of Republicans approve of her performance.
Feinstein received good marks from 60 percent of Democrats, while 23 percent of Republicans approved of her performance.
Pelosi's job approval rating rebounded after the 2008 election, but she's lost significant ground with Republicans.
She is disapproved of by 79 percent of Republicans, while only 7 percent approve of her performance. In March, 20 percent of Republicans approved of Pelosi.
DiCamillo said Pelosi benefited earlier this year from a "halo effect" that comes after an election, when voters temporarily feel better about the winning party. But he said her popularity has waned because of the contentious fight over health care.
"She's in the center of it," DiCamillo said. "She has really alienated the Republican Party in her role as speaker. You can say that might be expected: She's the leader of the majority party."
Call Rob Hotakainen, McClatchy Washington Bureau, (202) 383-0009.
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