The Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS - A new poll showed that half of central Indiana voters disapprove of Gov. Frank O'Bannon's job performance, a finding Mr. O'Bannon attributed solely to the tanking economy.

Only 34 percent of those polled were satisfied with Mr. O'Bannon's job performance, according to the poll by the Indianapolis Star and television station WTHR. Fifty percent disapproved.

The poll released Sunday did not ask voters to explain their dissatisfaction, but Mr. O'Bannon attributed the discontent to the economic recession, which has prompted many governors to cut spending, raise taxes or both.

"Go to Michigan, go to Ohio, go to Illinois. They've all got low poll numbers," Mr. O'Bannon said of governors in neighboring states. "I feel very confident we're doing the right things."

Critics say Mr. O'Bannon cannot just fault the economy, saying he mismanaged state government and sparked high levels of voter discontent with more than two years remaining in his final term.

"He's spent his entire term in office on cruise control," said Mike McDaniel, a former state GOP chairman. "He believed the economy was always going to be good."

The poll surveyed 710 self-identified registered voters from Marion County and surrounding counties Sept. 20-23. The poll, conducted by Market Shares Corp., had a margin of error of 4 percentage points.

The approval rating was the lowest ever for Mr. O'Bannon, a Democrat. The drop comes on the heels of revelations that his administration handled the background check for a convict hired to help run the Public Employees Retirement Fund and a nearly $760 million budget deficit.

In the same poll, 74 percent of voters approved of the job performance of Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson, another Democrat, and President Bush, a Republican.

Mr. O'Bannon attributed their approval to the fact that federal and local politicians enjoy advantages he and other governors do not.