Senator Roy Blunt (PoliticMo Photo/Blake James)

— U.S. Senator Roy Blunt’s office is brushing aside new polling numbers that suggest low support for the freshman Republican’s first nine months in office.

The latest numbers from Public Policy Polling, taken last weekend, gave Blunt a 33 percent approval rating, with 42 percent of Missourians disapproving with his job performance. Blunt holds support with the majority of Republicans, but draws only 28 percent support from independents.

“The fact that Blunt won such an overwhelming victory last year even though he’s so unpopular is really symbolic of how brutal the climate was for Democrats in 2010,” said Tom Jensen, Director of Public Policy Polling. “Blunt’s someone who could be really vulnerable if he was running in a year that was good for Democrats or even pretty neutral. But his timing was perfect last year.”

The analysis and numbers didn’t sit well with Blunt’s office, however. Blunt’s spokeswoman Amber Marchand said PPP has “no Mo credibility.”

She and other Republicans argue PPP has a credibility deficit, pointing to a survey in mid-October 2010 that said the Blunt’s Senate race with Secretary of State Robin Carnahan was moving in her direction. (Carnahan lost the election by 14 points.)

“Senator Blunt is wholly focused on serving the people of Missouri – not on polls from an unabashedly skewed firm that completely misread the state in 2010,” Marchand said.