More than three-quarters of Utahns believe Mitt Romney is doing a good job as president of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee, according to a new Deseret News/KSL-TV survey — results that impressed pollster Dan Jones.
"Those are excellent," Jones said.
Romney, though, seemed uncomfortable being singled out for SLOC's successes since he took over last year in the midst of the bid scandal. He insisted that the high approval rating reflected on the entire organizing committee, not just him.
"I represent a team of people," Romney said. "I'll take credit only as a member of the team."
Over the past 17 months the SLOC team, he said, "has really endeavored to have a much more open organization and make sure the Olympics can be shared by the Utah public, not just the high rollers."
Nolan Karras, a former Utah House speaker who represents Gov. Mike Leavitt on the SLOC board of trustees, said it's true that Romney has surrounded himself with a strong staff.
"It's unfair almost to give him all the publicity," Karras said. "Not only is Mitt good — and I think he's as good as his press clippings — he's brought in a very good team of people" and energized those who were already working for SLOC.
"There's a great charisma about him," Karras said, marveling at the way Romney can break bad news to the board about, say, finances "in a way that isn't alarming but lays it out."
Jones also suggested Romney's personal appeal may have more to do with his popularity.
"He has been able to blend the Utah culture into the Olympics. People find that appealing, and he is the reason. If you notice, in his pictures he is always smiling. He's very photogenic," Jones said.
Could Utahns eventually decide Romney is too good to be true?
"That's an excellent question. It's going to be a great challenge to keep those numbers where they are," Jones said. "I don't see them going much higher."
The real challenges are ahead, Jones said, predicting Romney's approval rating will fall "when people don't get the tickets that they want, even though they've been warned" that many of the good seats for the Games are already gone.
Romney, too, acknowledges that the public probably won't always be happy with SLOC. "I can't help but believe as time goes on we will disappoint people in one way or another and this will drift lower."
But so far, so good. "It really is great progress . . . and it feels terrific," Romney said.
The poll by Dan Jones & Associates found that 43 percent of the state's residents strongly approve of Romney's job performance, and another 33 percent somewhat approve.
Just 13 percent of the 1,083 registered voters surveyed statewide June 19-22 expressed disapproval, while the rest said they didn't know how to rate him. The poll carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent.
This is the first time Utahns have been asked by news organizations about Romney's job performance although 80 percent of those polled in December 1999 said they were confident in the organizing committee after the leadership change.
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