A new poll Wednesday showed an upward tick in President Barack Obama's approval ratings as he faces a political storm over the Gulf oil spill and girds for crucial mid-term elections in November. The Quinnipiac University survey showed that 48 percent of voters gave Obama a positive approval rating, compared to 43 percent who disapproved.
Most respondents however were pessimistic on the White House's economic management. It was the first time since December that the Quinnipiac Survey had shown Obama with a positive rating. In the last such poll, only 44 percent of voters approved of Obama's job performance, while 46 percent disapproved. Respondents also told Quinnipiac, by 42 to 36 percent, that they would vote for a Democrat over a Republican in November's congressional elections, which will have a big impact on the rest of Obama's term, which ends in 2013.