Rasmussen poll shows Reid getting beat but no GOP favorite emerging from pack

Sen. Harry Reid is still getting beat by potential Republican opponents in the latest Rasmussen poll. But the survey also shows Nevadans aren’t rushing to strongly back any one GOP favorite and would welcome yet another newcomer to the primary field.

In fact, in the fever chart world of political polls, voters have cooled just a bit toward the slate of top Republicans vying to oust Reid, who’s seeking a fifth term.

The Feb. 3 phone survey of 500 likely Nevada voters finds Reid earning 39 percent to 41 percent of the vote against any of four GOP challengers, Rasmussen Reports said. That’s a slight up tick from January when he showed 36 percent support against his top two opponents and slightly less than the 43 percent against those same two in December.

Reid has been stuck at around 40 percent in most polls since last year.

His Republican opponents, meantime, are not doing as well this month, down slightly from the 50 percent high they had hit in previous surveys, Rasmussen said.

ìThis continues to suggest that the race is still about Reid and not about them,î Rasmussen said as voters have yet to put their money on one GOP horse in the race four months before the June 8 Republican primary will decide the matter.

Here’s how Reid would do against his top potential GOP rivals if the general election were held today, according to the poll that has a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points:

*Danny Tarkanian, a businessman, leads Reid 47 percent to 39 percent.

Sue Lowden, a businesswoman and former state senator, leads Reid 45-39.

Sharron Angle, a former Reno assemblywoman, leads Reid 44-40.

Brian Krolicki, the lieutenant governor who’s considering getting into the race, edges Reid 44-41.

Not many voters have ìvery favorableî views of Reid or the GOP hopefuls, either.

_ 16 percent have a very favorable view of Reid and 46 percent Very unfavorable.

_ 16 percent very favorable view of Tarkanian, and 13 percent very unfavorable.

_ 14 percent very favorable view of Krolicki, and 12 percent very unfavorable.

_ 12 percent very favorable view of Lowden, and 11 percent very unfavorable.

_ 8 percent very favorable view of Angle, and 12 percent very unfavorable.

As for Gov. Jim Gibbons, 39 percent approve of his job performance and 59 percent disapprove.

What about President Barack Obama, who won 55 percent of the Nevada vote in 2008? Rasmussen says 46 percent of voters in the state approve of how he’s performing, with 27 percent strongly approving. Meantime, 54 percent disapprove of the president’s job performance, including 45 percent who strongly disapprove.

Here are other findings in the poll, which shows how unhappy Nevadans are with the dismal economy and with congressional efforts to fix things:

42 percent of Nevada voters say their finances are good or excellent, while 17% say their finances are poor.

26 percent think their own finances are getting better, but 45% say they are getting worse.

46 percent believe it’s possible to balance the federal budget without raising taxes, but 38 percent disagree.

59 percent favor an across-the-board tax cut for all Americans, while 28 percent are opposed.

57 percent think cutting taxes is a better way to create jobs than increasing government spending, while only 14 percent say increased spending is better.

69 percent trust the judgment of the American people more than that of the nation’s political leaders when it comes to important national issues, while 14 percent trust the leaders’ judgment more.

78 percent say the federal government has become a special interest group.

75 percent say government and big business often work together to hurt consumers and investors.