Sportsmen poll shows cooling on Bush

Voters who hunt and fish, traditionally Republican-leaning, expressed some displeasure with the Bush administration’s environmental policies in a National Wildlife Federation poll released last week.

Of the 752 voters with hunting and angling licenses surveyed, 58% disagreed with the administration’s proposed changes to the Clean Water Act that could have affected wetlands, and 69% disagreed with policies for reducing mercury emissions from coal-fired plants.

More than two-thirds of the respondents voted for George W. Bush in the last election. The poll’s margin of error is 3.6%.

“I wouldn’t say they’re popping champagne at Kerry-Edwards’ headquarters,” says the University of Virginia’s Paul Freedman, who studies voter behavior and polling. But, he says, it suggests Democrats could make inroads with conservative voters.

The poll did not query respondents about Sen. John F. Kerry, the presumptive Democratic nominee. He and running mate Sen. John Edwards have been courting the “sportsman” community; pictures on Kerry’s website show him in hunting garb holding a gun.

The poll had an unusual sampling of people -- two-thirds are licensed to fish, one-third to hunt, Freedman says. Also, participants were not asked which presumptive candidate they planned to vote for in November.

Most of the hunters and anglers surveyed said they approved of the president’s support for Florida Everglades restoration and programs that help protect privately owned forests and restore fish and wildlife habitat on private land.

“Anglers voted for Bush, and I think they would again,” says Bob Osborn of United Anglers of Southern California. “Until someone says their water has mercury, they’re not going to fight too strongly, and they’re not changing their vote over it.”

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Ashley Powers