Voter support for Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has slumped, according to a poll published just hours after he named a date for the federal election.
Mr Rudd claimed underdog status on Sunday as he announced Australians would go to the polls on September 7 and according to the latest Newspoll, he could be right.
The poll of 1147 voters, conducted this weekend for The Australian newspaper, shows that although Mr Rudd is still more popular than Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, his support as preferred prime minister is at its lowest point.
Voter satisfaction with Mr Rudd dropped four percentage points in the past two weeks.
It went from 42 per cent to 38 per cent, while his dissatisfaction jumped six points from 41 per cent to 47 per cent.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Mr Abbott's satisfaction rating continued at 34 per cent, down a point from two weeks ago.
His dissatisfaction was unchanged on 56 per cent.
The survey found voter support for Labor had fallen one percentage point in the last fortnight to 37 per cent, compared to the coalition's 44 per cent.
On a two-party preferred basis, the coalition has kept its lead of 52 per cent to Labor's 48 per cent.
Support for the Greens is down one point to nine per cent, compared to 11.8 per cent at the last election.
