Jim Gibbons Aide to the governor says his commitment to his agenda will win over residents of the state

CARSON CITY -- Gov. Jim Gibbons' approval rating is lower than President Bush's: 29 percent, according to a new statewide poll.

Bush has the support of 34 percent of Nevadans, according to the poll by the Voter Survey Service, a Pennsylvania-based nationwide polling firm.

The poll of 500 Nevada voters, conducted last week, found the state's residents "disillusioned with many of the changes taking place in the state," pessimistic about Nevada's direction and not well disposed toward Republicans, firm President James Lee wrote.

"The current political climate is one that can be problematic for incumbent state legislative elected officials running for re-election in the 2008 elections, and the Republican Party in particular since they control both the governor's office and the state Senate," Lee wrote in analyzing the poll results.

According to the poll, 46 percent of Nevadans believe the state is on the wrong track. Lee noted that's unusual in a state where most voters do not feel the economy is stagnant or taxes are too high.

The poll also found that if presidential nominating contests took place today, Nevada Democrats would select Hillary Clinton and Republicans would pick Rudy Giuliani, both by wide margins. Those results are in line with national polls.

Poll respondents were unhappy with the state education system, ranking problems with schools their biggest concern, followed by population growth, and crime and drugs. Most of those surveyed rated the education system "fair" or "poor" rather than "good" or "excellent."

Fifty-five percent of those polled approved of the job Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., is doing, and 50 percent approved of Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman.

More of those surveyed said they would prefer to vote for a Democrat for state Legislature, 41 percent, than a Republican, 37 percent.

The poll was conducted in telephone interviews March 6 through March 9. Only registered voters who have voted in recent elections were surveyed. The poll carries a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Gibbons' 29 percent approval rating is surprisingly low for a recently elected governor, Lee said. Thirty-three percent of those polled disapproved of Gibbons, while 38 percent were undecided.

"The fact that more people disapprove than approve of his job performance is unusual given that incumbents usually experience a small bump from positive press after a successful election," Lee said.

Seventy-seven percent of those polled said they were aware of an ongoing federal investigation into Gibbons. Lee said that was probably a factor in the governor's low rating.

Gibbons spokeswoman Melissa Subbotin said Tuesday that the governor would keep going forward with his plans, which she suggested would eventually win people over.

"We're confident that throughout this legislative session the people of Nevada will see that Governor Gibbons refuses to be distracted and remains focused on his ambitious agenda," she said.

According to a different pollster, SurveyUSA, former Gov. Kenny Guinn had the approval of 59 percent of Nevadans, with 32 percent disapproval and 9 percent undecided as of November.

In the presidential races, Giuliani had support of 34 percent of Republicans. John McCain and Mitt Romney tied for second, with 19 percent each.

Clinton had 32 percent of Democrats, followed by Barack Obama with 17 percent, John Edwards with 16 percent and Bill Richardson with 7 percent.

Asked about the taxes they pay to fund state services, 54 percent of Nevadans said they were "about right." Twenty-six percent said they were too high, while 13 percent said taxes were too low.

Given a list of priorities for state government and asked to choose two, half of those surveyed said "improving education and public schools," while 36 percent cited "reducing crime, violence and drugs."

Poll respondents also expressed concern about housing prices. Three-fourths agreed with the idea that housing has become unaffordable for the average Nevada family.

Voters were divided about whether taxes should be increased "to improve the state's transportation system and cut down on traffic." Forty-six percent said they would support an increase; 47 percent would oppose it.

The numbers were also close on the issue of whether the state's recently enacted partial smoking ban should be extended to casino gaming floors.

Of those surveyed, 46 percent said they would favor such a ban, while 49 percent would oppose it.

Voters downplayed the ban's effects, with more than half, 56 percent, saying it hadn't affected their patronage of bars. Just 12 percent said the ban had made it less likely they'd visit an establishment, while 31 percent said they were more likely to do so.