The University of Arkansas’s 2022 Arkansas Poll was released today and, if you’re of my political persuasion, you’ll have to look hard to find encouraging news about the popular outlook in Arkansas.

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The economy remains the top concern — bad news for Democrats with inflation running high and reflected, no doubt, in Joe Biden’s 32 percent approval rating among very likely voters.

Governor Hutchinson still enjoys a 61 percent approval rating among very likely voters. Sens. Tom Cotton and John Boozman are around the 50 percent mark. Cotton is higher than Boozman if you can believe it.

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Elections: Grim, except for the narrow opposition to Issue 2, which would end democracy for ballot issues in Arkansas. A majority of the same voters would give the out-of-control legislature still more power in Issue 1. And there’s whopping opposition to Issue 4 legalizing marijuana. If that one is correct, it doesn’t bode well for those who favor legalization but encourage waiting two more years for a better proposal.

And the governor’s race? If accurate, these results put the lie to the irrational exuberance some are feeling about the very appealing candidacy of Democrat Chris Jones against Trump’s former paid liar, the not-so-appealing Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders. The poll went 59-38 Republican.

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Arkansans are OK with current gun laws (which are terrible) or would like them even looser. They aren’t worried about climate change. They favor teachers whacking kids.

There’s nuance on abortion, with a clear preference by many to allow abortion in some circumstances and heavy opposition to punishing women who go to another state to obtain an abortion now illegal in Arkansas. But this polling falls just after the Supreme Court ruling blowing life into Arkansas’s abortion ban. You can’t be sure how many people understand how complete and dangerous this ban is.

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Example: Majorities favor abortion when a fetus won’t survive; when there’s a chance of a serious birth defect; when a woman’s life is in danger; when a woman’s health is endangered; and when a pregnancy was caused by rape or incest. None of these exceptions are allowed under Arkansas law.

I think the question on general abortion feelings is meaningless amid the recently changed times. The numbers are not terribly different from those seen when abortion was legal, albeit with many restrictions, in Arkansas. Polling says 29% would make it more difficult to obtain an abortion. What do you think they mean? End the exception to save a woman about to die? End exceptions for ectopic pregnancies? Who knows? 33% now would make it “easier,” which is a move upward from past years.

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Here’s the poll summary.

Here’s the news release prepared by the UA on the polling. It emphasizes the abortion mixed messaging.

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A few positives. Women politicians draw much higher ratings than men. The Arkansas legislature has only a 40-37 approval rating. Too high, but still.

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