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– POLL FINDS MAJOR SHIFT IN POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT; GOP ON REBOUND –

ALEXANDRIA, VA – The Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC), the nation’s largest caucus of Republican state leaders, released a national poll today indicating a clear backlash over the expansion of the federal government in recent months – with a majority of Americans believing that the best solutions are found in state government. The poll also reveals a major shift in the political environment with President Barack Obama’s approval declining to 51 percent, tying Bill Clinton with the steepest drop in presidential approval ratings during the first six months in office, and the Republican Party on the rebound. The national poll, taken by Public Opinion Strategies, was conducted August 30 – September 1, 2009.

“The American people overwhelmingly believe that the federal government is overreaching and that the best solutions for their businesses and families are better handled by state government,” said Republican State Leadership Committee President Scott Ward.  “What we see is a major shift in the political environment and an opportunity for the Republican Party to offer real solutions to the problems individuals and businesses are facing.”

“It is clear that health reform is what people want – but not Obamacare.  When presented with commonsense solutions to provide access to affordable, quality health care that are being implemented at the state level, a vast majority of Americans said yes,” Ward concluded.

Since February 2009 – President Obama’s approval rating has declined from 64 percent to 51 percent.  While his approval is declining, voters are regaining faith that the Republican Party in their states is better equipped to handle some of the most pressing issues facing our country today.  Of tremendous significance, Republicans are now seen on a level playing field with Democrats in handling of the economy and jobs – when in a July 2008 NBC/Wall Street Journal poll of adults, the Democratic Party had a 16-point advantage.

A majority of voters indicated that the federal government is overreaching – with 54 percent of voters saying the federal government is doing too much.  This is a clear reversal in public opinion and in stark contrast to the 51 percent saying the government should do more in February of this year.  By a substantial margin – 69 percent to 21 percent – voters would like their state government to take the lead in policy-making.  On the issue of health care, 72 percent favored the health care reforms that are being implemented on the state level and prefer the state-level approaches over the proposed federal health care solutions by a substantial margin to the Obama health care proposal.

The Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) is the only national organization whose mission is electing Republicans to the office of Attorney General, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State and State Legislator. The RSLC is the largest caucus of Republican state leaders in the country – making a national impact one state at a time.