GOP pollster points to Brownback's popularityParty-commissioned poll puts approval rating at 51 percent By
Tim Carpenter 
THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL A survey of registered voters in Kansas conducted to rebut depressed poll numbers for Gov. Sam Brownback offered fresh evidence more people in the state approved of the Republican governor's job performance than of work by President Barack Obama.
The two-day statewide survey by Public Opinion Strategies, a Republican polling company with experience in Kansas, showed Brownback with an approval rating of 51 percent.
Performance of the Democratic president earned endorsement of 40 percent of Kansans in the survey.
David Kensinger, the governor's former chief of staff and now manager of the Brownback advocacy group Road Map Solutions, said he authorized the new poll to refute a series of nonpartisan SurveyUSA polls suggesting Brownback's rating was below Obama in a state dominated politically by Republicans.
"I'd describe these numbers as reassuring," Kensinger said.
Once policy reforms given life by the Republican governor take root, Kensinger said, "these numbers will increase even more."
SurveyUSA produced polls in January, February and April for KWCH-TV in Wichita, offering evidence Obama had a higher job approval rating than Brownback.
The latest poll by SurveyUSA found 43 percent of Kansans endorsed the work of Obama and 34 percent had a favorable impression of the governor's performance.
Bob Beatty, a political science professor at Washburn University, said the 17 percentage point swing in the two polls was puzzling.
"It is hard to make a direct comparison," Beatty said. "There is a huge discrepancy between the approval numbers. It's rare to have this big a difference."
He said both polls were conducted by reputable companies that have been involved in Kansas for years. The products are a useful snapshot of opinion worthy of consideration, he said.
The SurveyUSA offerings may have over-sampled Democrats and under-reported views of western Kansas, Beatty said.
At the same time, he said, the assessment by Public Opinion Strategies was based on a sample that under-represented people in the 25- to 35-year-old age group.
Beatty said the gap could be tied to a difference in how the companies handle in their surveys uncertainty of opinion. SurveyUSA allows people to choose "not sure," while Public Opinion Strategies permits people to opt for "don't know."
"Many respondents to polls don't want to say 'don't know' because it makes them sound stupid," Beatty said.
Neil Newhouse, of Public Opinion Strategies, said the poll paid for by Road Map Solutions and conducted on Sunday and Monday offered evidence the governor had resilience despite widespread distrust of public institutions.
"Sam Brownback not only has a positive image among voters in the state, but a job approval score that breaks the 50 percent mark," Newhouse said.
House Minority Leader Paul Davis, a Lawrence Democrat, said he was unimpressed by the Public Opinion Strategies offering.
"I'm much more inclined to give credence to poll numbers that come from an unbiased source than from a campaign that has a reason to inflate their poll numbers," Davis said.
Kensinger said Road Map Solutions would be operated as a policy advocacy organization focusing on Brownback's agenda. It could accept unlimited donations for the purpose of issue advocacy, he said, but wouldn’t be allowed to advocate election of specific candidates.
The report by Public Opinion Strategies was based on a survey of 500 registered voters in Kansas. It had a margin of error of 4.4 percent.
Brownback, who wouldn’t face re-election until 2014, would be the choice of 42 percent of people in the survey. Twenty-nine percent indicated their preference would be for a Democratic nominee.
