Arnold Schwarzenegger Californian Gubernator approval rating falls to 36 pct

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's popularity has not improved as he heads into the campaign season for a special election he has called for November, according to a poll released on Friday.

The Field Poll found just 36 percent of 891 registered voters approved of Schwarzenegger's performance as governor, compared to 52 percent disapproval.

In a June Field poll, 37 percent of those surveyed approved, with 53 percent disapproving.

Swept into office in an unprecedented recall election two years ago, the Hollywood star and former bodybuilder has seen his polling numbers fall dramatically this year.

In September 2004, 65 percent of voters surveyed in the Field poll expressed approval of his work in office, reports Reuters.

According to Guardian, the telephone poll surveyed 1,301 California adults, including 891 registered voters, on Aug. 19-29. It had a margin of sampling error of 3.5 percentage points.

Schwarzenegger campaign strategist Todd Harris disagreed with some of the poll's findings, saying he had seen several private surveys in the past week that showed rising support for the governor and his initiatives.

Harris also pointed to Field Poll results showing broad dissatisfaction with state government. Only 27 percent approved of the Legislature's performance, while twice as many - 54 percent - disapproved.

“Californians are not happy with the way things are in Sacramento, which bodes well for whichever side is campaigning for change,” Harris said. “Given the political environment, I would not want my campaign message to be, 'Let's leave things exactly the way they are,' which is what our opponents' message will to be.”