Today, a coalition of major environmental, business, fishing, and anti-poverty groups dedicated to restoring the Gulf coast has published the results of a poll that measured voters in the region's likeliness to elect legislators who support Gulf restoration funding.

In their press release, the coalition noted:

The poll by Democratic polling firm Lake Research Partners and GOP polling firm Bellwether Research and Consulting found that--regardless of political affiliation--voters across the Gulf region have a deep commitment to restoration and see it as key to the economic health of the region. In fact, majorities of Independents (67%), Democrats (82%) and Republicans (67%) said they are more likely to support federal legislators who will make new investments in restoration.

Additional key findings of the survey include:

• More than three out of five voters (62%) in Gulf Coast states say they are less likely to vote for federal legislators who do not support funding Gulf restoration

• Nearly nine out of 10 poll respondents (87%) across the five Gulf states agree that the environmental health of the Gulf Coast region affects their state’s economy very much or somewhat.

• Nearly eight out of 10 poll respondents (78%) favor creation of a separate fund for the Gulf region and the Mississippi River Delta that includes penalty payments from BP for violating the Clean Water Act and the Oil Pollution Act.

Not surprisingly, over 80% of respondents in Florida said that their economic well being is directly linked to a healthy environment.  For more Florida specific results, click here.

Among the National Audubon Society, members of the coalition include, The Walton Family Foundation; Oxfam; Alabama Coastal Foundation; America's WETLAND Foundation; Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana; Environmental Defense Fund; The Fishermen’s Alliance; Florida Wildlife Federation; Franklin County Seafood Dealers Association; Galveston Bay Foundation; Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholder’s Alliance; The Gulf Restoration Network; Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation; Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Foundation; Mobile Baykeeper; National Wildlife Federation; The Nature Conservancy; The Ocean Conservancy; Organized Fishermen of Florida; Reef Relief; Save our Gulf; and Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.