Alaska Governor Frank Murkowski's approval rating sinks even more to 20 percent

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New Jersey

Survey USA, a New Jersey-based company, polled 600 adults in each state last weekend. Murkowski's 20 percent approval rating was 49th, leading only indicted Ohio Republican Bob Taft's 19 percent. Taft, the first Ohio governor to ever be charged with a crime while in office, pleaded no contest to violating state ethics laws.

The average approval rating among the 50 states was 48 percent.

"Obviously, he's been in politics for a long time," said Murkowski spokesman John Manly. "He understands if he makes tough decisions, somebody will not like them."

According to the survey, 39 percent of Republicans approved of their governor while 11 percent of Democrats and 9 percent of independents favored Murkowski.

Many political insiders say Murkowski's numbers mean this is a time for change.

"At 20 percent approval rating, it goes to show we all have an expiration date, and Frank may have reached his," said Rep. Harry Crawford, D-Anchorage, a critic of the oil tax and the contract.