Obama's Independent Support Wanes

Though his overall approval rating remains sturdy, President Obama is losing support among independents, particularly in swing states, polls show. “This is a huge sea change that is playing itself out in American politics,” says a Democratic pollster. Obama fell 6 points last week from the week before among independents, Gallup finds; Quinnipiac University cited a 5-point drop between June and early July, Politico notes.

A plurality of 48% of Ohio independents disapproved of Obama’s job performance in a Quinnipiac poll, while his overall approval rating among Ohioans fell 8 points over two months. “Independents who had become effectively operational Democrats in 2006 and 2008 are now up for grabs and are trending Republican,” says the pollster. But an Obama adviser noted that the president’s numbers were historically strong, citing a 59% approval rating in June among independents, according to Gallup.
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