Poll: Obama's Vegas flap, trip sway voters little

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Results of a newspaper poll released Monday suggest President Barack Obama's recent dustup with Las Vegas and visit to the city had little effect on opinions about him among Nevada voters.

A poll commissioned by the Las Vegas Review-Journal said Obama was rated slightly better in February than a month earlier, with 39 percent of voters viewing him favorably compared with 34 percent in January.

The poll said 46 percent of voters viewed Obama unfavorably, unchanged from January.

The telephone poll was conducted Feb. 22-24, after a visit by Obama to Las Vegas less than a week earlier.

Obama touted housing funds and spoke about the economy and health care during his one-night trip, which included a private fundraiser for U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Obama also sought to quiet concerns over a comment he made in early February, that people saving for college shouldn't spend that money on a Vegas trip. It was the second time Obama singled out Las Vegas as a potential example of excessive spending.

The poll of 625 registered voters was conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research. It has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.

Brad Coker, Mason-Dixon managing partner, said Obama's remarks that stirred rebuttals from lawmakers likely hurt him among Nevada voters, while his Feb. 18-19 trip pushed his numbers up slightly.

"We're seeing it around the country," Coker said. "He's losing voters on health care and the fact that the economy isn't getting any better, and there's a couple of extra points for him trashing Nevada."

The poll said 47 percent of Nevada voters believe Obama's actions as president have hurt the state's economic situation. Another 33 percent said Obama had little effect on the Silver State's economy, while 15 percent said he improved it.

Half of voters - 51 percent - said Obama has relied too much on government to solve the nation's problems.