Beshear's approvals hover in thirties

Gov. Steve Beshear (D-Lexington) touted a supposed "win" after passing pension reform during a late-June special session and, since then, has embarked on a 13-stop tour of the state, but no real bounce from this activity is reflected in his latest job ratings from the public.

A survey by Rasmussen Reports conducted on July 29 finds 33 percent of respondents rated Beshear's job performance as either "excellent" or "good" - a one point drop since a June poll by the same firm.

Beshear collects a "fair" rating from 33 percent of the 500 likely voters polled, while 28 percent rate his performance as "poor."

The last figure includes a two point uptick since June.

Six percent of respondents said they were "not sure" about Beshear's performance during his first seven months as governor.

Beshear's first year as governor has thus far been marked by several high-profile policy stumbles that found his public ratings plummet. Arguing he inherited dire economic circumstances from his predecessor, Republican Ernie Fletcher, Beshear attempted to pass several revenue-increasing measures with little success.

His highly-touted expanded casino gaming amendment never saw a vote in the Democratically-controlled House while other revenue increasing measures were gutted in the Republican Senate.

Beshear's office has looked to take to the offensive in recent months after this rocky start. Since the mid-April completion of the legislative session, Beshear's administration has undergone some reshuffling, with the hiring of a new chief of staff and a new communications director most visible among the moves.

A week-long special session in late June yielded a compromise pension-reform package that Beshear said could encourage further bi-partisan cooperation in Frankfort. Whether that will happen remains to be seen, as the next legislative session will not begin for months, but a corresponding boost in job ratings after the special session has not yet occurred.

The governor has also taken to the road and is holding thirteen town hall meetings across the state in an effort to talk up his agenda.

His latest stop is in Madisonville tonight.