FOR RELEASE: AUGUST 12, 2011 OBAMA APPROVAL IN NEW YORK CRASH DIVE,QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY POLL FINDS;BUT VOTERS BACK PRES OVER UNNAMED GOP CHALLENGERNew York State voters disapprove 49 - 45 percent of the job President Obama is doing, a huge drop from his 57 - 38 percent approval June 29 and the first time the president ever has had a negative score in New York, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.Democrats approve 75 - 19 percent, down from 82 - 12 percent in June. Disapproval is 86 - 10 percent among Republicans, compared to a 74 - 23 percent disapproval in June, and 58 - 36 percent among independent voters, compared to a slightly positive 49 - 45 percent in June, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds.Voters split 48 - 46 percent on whether President Obama deserves reelection and say 49 - 34 percent they would vote for him over an unnamed Republican."The debt ceiling hullaballoo devastated President Barack Obama's numbers even in true blue New York," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "He just misses that magic 50 percent mark against a no-name Republican challenger."U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand gets a 49 - 27 percent approval rating, down from her all-time high 54 - 22 percent approval rating June 29.Senior Sen. Charles Schumer gets a 56 - 32 percent approval rating.From August 3 - 8, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,640 registered voters with amargin of error of +/- 2.4 percentage points. Live interviewers call land lines and cell phones.The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio, Virginia and the nation as a public service and for research.For more data or RSS feed- http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling.xml, call (203) 582-5201, or follow us on Twitter.2. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Charles Schumer is handling his job asUnited States Senator?Tot Rep Dem Ind Men WomApprove 56% 33% 75% 51% 50% 62%Disapprove 32 55 13 38 42 23DK/NA 12 11 12 11 8 15UnionUpStat NYC Sub HsHldsApprove 50% 66% 52% 57%Disapprove 36 23 41 32DK/NA 14 11 7 11TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Charles Schumer is handling his job as United States Senator? (*High app also 69% Oct 2001)APPROVE.......High LowAug 12 Jun 29 Jun 01 Apr 13 Feb 23 Dec 08 Apr 15