(CNN) – Sen. Ben Nelson's support in his home state of Nebraska has dipped below 50 percent, according to a new poll which finds a majority of voters there disapprove of the Democratic health care bill the two-term senator supports.
According to a new poll conducted by the Omaha World-Herald, Nelson's job approval rating now stands at 42 percent with a 48 percent disapproval rating. Forty-four percent of those polled also said Nelson's support for the health care reform bill would hurt his chances at re-election 2012 should he decide to run.
Nelson was the last Senate Democrat to sign on to his party's health care bill, and has since been criticized for only agreeing to the bill after winning special concessions from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
The poll found that more than 60 percent of Nebraskans questioned oppose the Senate health care bill.
A majority said they opposed Nelson's vote in favor of the bill, while about 1 in 3 approved of it. Three-quarters of the GOP voters surveyed - but only 22 percent of Democrats - opposed the senator's vote.
Nelson, who served as governor of Nebraska from 1991-1999, has long been a popular figure in the state. He was re-elected in 2006 to his second Senate term with 64 percent of the vote.
The same poll out Monday shows fellow Nebraska Sen. Mike Johanns, a Republican who voted against the health care measure, with a 63 percent approval rating.
The poll surveyed 500 registered voters in Nebraska between Jan. 8-12. It has a sampling error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
From CNN Politics
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He is in trouble, as are all the dems, because voters know that this deal that Reid has cut with Senators is illegal and will not hold in court.
These people are more interested in keeping their cushy senate jobs (and great medical benefits for themselves and their families) than they are taking care of our appalling health care system in the United States. Nelson did the right thing, finally, but if he loses next election, the people of his state will suffer the consequences.
If people vote the Dems out of office, they will deserve what they get. If they have insurance now and lose jobs, they will have nothing in the way of medical care. If they hope for Medicare, the Republicans are determined to shut it down.
(reads comments)
i still see references to "socialism". I do not understand how anyone could view the current bills before congress as "socialist".
all the vitriol and vinegar being spewed by the right is tainted and without facts.
i just wish the republicans would try to be part of the solution for a change.
The fact they have to bribe their own party into saying yay for the health care bill says so much.
The fact that they exclude themselves from this wonderful health care bill says so much.
The fact that they crow that the unions are for the health care bill (Ya once the unions got themselves excluded from it they were all onboard) says so much.
The fact that they have to hide in secret behind closed doors says so much.
The fact that they have a "backup plan" to shove this down the peoples throat even as they (the people) potentially vote in the blocking vote, says so much.
The most important fact is that MOST people and not just the people on the right are not for THIS bill says so much.
Yes health care needs to be worked on but not this health care.
We the people have told them we don't want this and they have not listened And if they don't listen after Massachusetts votes then the people will make them listen in November......
Nabraskens are mostly republicans in the first place and the fact that the Health Care Bill may help some of the poor and middle class is beyong Cornhuskers to comprehend!
Randall just proved that 2 masters degrees can't overcome, JUST PLAIN STUPID.
Goodbye to all the Dems who blatantly voted against the will of the people. Brown in MA is just the beginning in Congress, all of these Dems will be replaced. I guess they haven't been paying attention to the high unemployment because they will be pounding the pavement looking for a job soon.
Dutch the Great January 18th, 2010 12:06 pm ET
Sen. Nelson, your up the creek now. Going against what majority of the democratic caucus wants(Public Option), will definitely not get you re-elected
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Really idiot? Where in this article did you see that the people that voted him in office wanted the public option.
Typical liberal. Moron. You can't comprehend can you? The republican senator's poll is MUCH higher then Sen. nelsons. Want to bet the republican doesn't want the public option.
Bet your father sent you to special ed because even a flatten tack is sharper then you.
God, what a fkn moron.
Hey Michael, I love fox news!!! They are the only ones that tell the truth!
I' m glad to see that American voters seem to come to their senses, if your senator wants you to pay high taxes for immigrant and illegals and unwilling employed-the KICK THE SOB OUT OF THE GOVERNMENT!
The people of Nebraska and Massachusettes are telling the politicians something. The majority of americans do not want this healthcare bill. Remember, Massachusettes has been liberal stomping grounds for years. Get the point liberals or your gone!
Get used to it Democrats!!
It will keep happening until you start LISTENING TO WHAT THE PEOPLE WANT!!
America is waking up, at last!!
He voted qagainst the people who put him in office. Even the bribe won' t help him now.
Nelson,is ready to go. Its is time to retire the Senator,while his hand is still in Barack's pocket.
My how soon we forget what the conservatives have done to our country.
What a choice we have, weak-kneed liberals or wing-nut conservatives.
Multi-party elections could alleviate some of this.
Let those who can not afford health care or health insurance of choose not to buy insurance die of their illness, I am sick and tired of paying for others. We now adopted Haiti with their ills, enough is enough.
I am of the opinion that this health care bill should be defeated and then when the massive amount of middle class people begin to lose their helath coverage because they can't afford it, then we can let the Republicans answer to the voters. maybe then they can come up with an answer ofther than "NO!". I am sick and tired of the bg companies, yes insurance giants as well as banks, lobbying to keep the status quo.
The Democratic Party is dying. Barack Obama is killing his own Party. He is the TERMINATOR.
A sign of things to come. Now that we are finding out what Obama meant by "change" the Democrats will be tossed out. The youngsters are finding out what Socialism/Marxism is about, i.e: forced to buy health ins. even if they don't want it and they are jumping off his wagon left and right. It's downright unconstitutional and Obama knows it but seems to care less.
LOL.....duh.....liberal politicians will never learn....they listen to their left wing nutjobs and then when it is to late, realize that America has conservative values and principle's.....
The question is, how many Democrats who sought a more liberal health care bill are included in the total of people opposed to Nelson? Many of us wanted a universal health care bill, and we are fed up because we didn't get it. As it is stated here, this poll does not answer if Nelson is re-electable or not. Why bother with such a poll???
I have a real problem with the democratic party "buying" votes and men like Nelson in office. He lacks integrity and should not be representing the honest, hard working voters! Pelosi, Reid and Obama should also not be buying the unions.....those of us who are working in the private sector will be paying for them!
anna.....
You are ignorant on the health care issue, I work in health care, there are insurance plans FOR ALL already out there, people DO NOT want to pay for them, they would rather have babies they cant afford, buy cigs and booze, do drugs, have their lips pierced, a cell phone bill of 200$ a month, bet they dont miss that payment, etc etc etc and then expect you and I to pay for their care...YOU ACTUALLY THINK THAT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO!!! Liberals=ingnorance.
We don't know what the Health Reform will be. Everything is being conducted behind closed doors. There is no guarantee that those uninsured (including myself) will have Insurance. The Public Option will most likely be excluded. So what is the big whoop! You think this is going to solve the uninsured problem? Think Again.
TO the bleeding liberals who support health care-GROW UP and GET A JOB! Anna-it is not $hundreds per year, it starts at $15,000 then will only rise from there. Look at social security, and medicare-because the government drains off, and steals, and misappropriates, and incompetent to prevent fraud, and creates massive expensive bureaucracy for political and friends jobs, it is doomed to fail and the $$cost continually rises exponentially over time-you health care supporters are really naive, dumb, head in the sand, or on DRUGS!