Sen. Orrin Hatch and Rep. Karen Shepherd slipped a bit in popularity during 1993, while Reps. Jim Hansen and Bill Orton are still held in high regard, the latest Deseret News/KSL poll shows.
Actually, Hatch doesn't have much to worry about. It's just that he usually finishes first or second among the state's congressional delegation in popularity. But in a poll conducted last week by Dan Jones & Associates, Hatch finished third, behind Orton and Hansen.Shepherd, on the other hand, has some concerns. For the first time her approval rating has dropped below 50 percent.
Jones found that 70 percent of 3rd District residents approve of the job Orton is doing; 68 percent of 1st District residents approve of the job Hansen is doing; 64 percent of all Utahns approve of the job Hatch is doing; and 59 percent of all Utahns approve of the job Sen. Bob Bennett is doing.
Shepherd brings up the rear. Jones found that only 48 percent of 2nd District residents approve of the job she is doing, while 38 percent disapprove.
Because Hatch and Bennett represent the whole state, 603 residents were questioned about the senators' job performance. Their ratings have a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent.
Jones polled about 200 residents in each of the three congressional districts asking about the job performance of that district's representative. Thus the ratings for Shepherd, Hansen and Orton have a margin of error factor of plus or minus 7 percent.
Shepherd has been targeted for defeat this year by local Republicans and the Republican National Committee. The RNC has paid for radio advertisements on local stations criticizing certain votes Shepherd made.
Such activities have clearly had an effect. Shepherd, who just finished her first year in office, had an approval rating of 59 percent in a March poll conducted by Jones. In an October poll her job performance rating had dropped to 52 percent. Now it is at 48 percent.
As her approval rating dropped, those who disapproved of her job performance increased. Her negative rating was 15 percent in March, 33 percent in October and stands today at 38 percent.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Deseret News/KSL Poll
Do you approve or disapprove of the way the following public officials are handling their jobs?
STRONGLY SOMEWHAT SOMEWHAT STRONGLY DON'T
APPROVE APPROVE DISAPPROVE DISAPPROVE KNOW
Sen. Orrin Hatch 26% 38% 14% 13% 8%*
Sen. Bob Bennett 15% 44% 14% 9% 18%*
Rep. Jim Hansen 23% 45% 10% 8% 15%**
Rep. Karen Shepherd 17% 31% 19% 19% 13%**
Rep. Bill Orton 22% 48% 11% 3% 16%**
Poll conducted Dec. 27-28, 1993.
*Margin of error +/-4 percent on interviews of 603 adults.
**Margin of error +/-7 percent on interviews of 604 adults.
Conducted by Dan Jones & Associates. Copyright 1994 Deseret News.