Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has now bested Democrat Phil Angelides by six points for two surveys in a row. He leads the Democrat 48% to 42% (see crosstabs).

The Governor is clearly better off than he was early in the year, when failed spending-control initiatives and other missteps had dimmed his prospects for reelection.

Some pundits--for example, Bob Garfield of Advertising Age--attribute the Schwarzenegger campaign's recent successes to negative ads it began airing shortly after Angelides was nominated, ads accusing the Democrat of planning to boost taxes.

Schwarzenegger is viewed favorably by 56%, with a high proportion, 25%, viewing him "very" favorably. That's little changed since April. More significantly, the number with a “very” unfavorable opinion has fallen to 16% now from 23% in April. It was also 16% last month. His job approval numbers are similar.

With an overall favorable rating of 40%, Angelides can persuade only 8% to view him "very" favorably, while 23% view him very unfavorably. The latter number has jumped since April, when fewer voters knew him well enough to give an opinion.

Sixty-two percent (62%) of likely voters see Governor Schwarzenegger as politically moderate, while 21% see him as conservative. A plurality of 45% see Angelides as liberal; only 29% see him as moderate.

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