LANSING – The 2010 election is over, but if it were to happen again right now, Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero would defeat Governor Rick Snyder, according to a poll released Tuesday by Public Policy Polling.

The poll would give Bernero a 47-45 edge among voters now. Snyder won in November 58 percent to 40 percent, and among those polled, he won 49-43. Of those who backed Snyder in November, 9 percent said they would now back Bernero, while 3 percent of Bernero’s supporters would switch.

Snyder, as would be expected, also saw his approval numbers slide in the poll, with 33 percent approving of his job performance and 50 percent disapproving. Former Governor Jennifer Granholm left office with 34-57 job approval ratings, according to the North Carolina-based polling firm, which while a Democratic firm, had polling all last fall showing Snyder trouncing Bernero.

“Last year our polling consistently found remarkably positive numbers for Rick Snyder with independents,” said Dean Dabnam, president of the firm. “That didn’t last very long.”

Some 44 percent of independent voters disapprove of the job he is doing, and 20 percent of Republicans disapprove. Eighty percent of Democrats disapprove of his job performance.

But the poll shows little appetite for a recall, which has been urged by some. Only 38 percent of those polled would support a recall effort, while 49 percent would oppose it.

Respondents were split on Snyder’s political leanings, with 36 percent saying he is too conservative and 37 percent saying he is about right. Fifteen percent said he is too liberal.

Poll respondents saw themselves as about evenly spread on the political spectrum, with 28 percent liberal or somewhat liberal, 35 percent conservative or somewhat conservative and 35 percent moderate. But they leaned politically liberal, with 41 percent Democrat, 28 percent Republican and 31 percent independent.

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING: The majority, 59 percent, supported public employee collective bargaining rights (32 percent opposed them), but only 49 percent would support enshrining them in the Constitution (37 percent would oppose that).

And half opposed the emergency manager legislation which, as described, would allow “state appointed managers to void public union contracts, fire local officials, and dissolve communities or school districts if they deem it necessary in order to avoid an emergency financial situation.”

The poll was conducted March 18-20 of 502 registered voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.

This story was provided by Gongwer News Service. To subscribe, click on Gongwer.Com

a>>