A new Field Poll shows that the California Nurses Association has strong credibility among voters on health care issues, but those surveyed also prefer Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s health care plan, which the CNA recently helped defeat.

The Field Poll released this week showed that 72% of those Californians surveyed supported Schwarzenegger’s plan to keep current health insurance structures intact while creating new tobacco, employer and hospital taxes to provide more health care. The CNA instead wants single-payer, Canadian-style health care and will keep fighting the governor's plan which likely will not vanish entirely from the legislature.

The poll gave the CNA a 53% approval rating and 15% negative numbers when voters were asked about whom they trust of health care policy. The governor had 40% positive ratings but also 40% negative numbers in that area. Outgoing Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez had worse poll numbers on health care matters - 20% positive and 29% negative. Health insurance companies tracked rather badly in the polling with just 16% positive against 55% negative approval ratings.

Despite the irony that those polled like the CNA but prefer Schwarzenegger’s plan, the nurses union issued a statement boasting of their poll results, saying, “We are honored that CNA and nurses are held in such high esteem by Californians.”

The good poll numbers come as the CNA is in the midst of an ugly spat between the politically influential Service Employees International Union over a failed SEIU union drive at a chain of Catholic hospitals in Ohio.