Immigration Stance Helps Wilson’s Rating

Gov. Pete Wilson’s popularity has risen for the first time in two years, apparently boosted by his recent tough talk against illegal immigration, according to a new Field Poll.

Wilson’s approval rating climbed to 22%, up from 15% in May, the survey released this week found. His negative rating fell to 33%, down from 42% in May and the lowest it has been since September, 1991.

Field Poll Director Mark DiCamillo attributed much of Wilson’s rise in popularity to his recent proposals to deny government benefits to illegal immigrants.

“Wilson is benefiting from the recent publicity and his very public stance on immigration, which is generally playing well to the public,” DiCamillo said. “Immigration is getting so much play right now . . . the issue is just going to the top of everyone’s mind.”

The passage of a state budget on time also helped Wilson’s rating, DiCamillo said.

Meanwhile, another Field Poll released this week found that President Clinton’s popularity among Californians has tumbled. DiCamillo blamed the state’s weak economy and lack of confidence in Clinton’s ability to cope with domestic and foreign issues.

Only 27% of Californians surveyed approved of Clinton’s job performance, down sharply from 50% in February and 31% in May. The President’s negative rating rose to 33%, up from 17% in February.

“The weakness of Clinton is that he doesn’t seem to be able to rally the public around him,” DiCamillo said. “The economy matters a lot in the evaluation of a President, and (the economy is) not good in California. That’s a clear message.”

The Field Poll conducted a random statewide sample of California adults Aug. 12 to Wednesday. A total of 525 people were questioned about Clinton and 520 were surveyed about Wilson. The margin of error for both surveys is plus or minus 4 1/2 percentage points.