Congressional Favorability Ratings

Reid, Boehner Are Disliked by One-Out-of-Two Voters

Half of voters don’t like the men in charge of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 50% of Likely U.S. Voters have an unfavorable opinion of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, while 49% feel that way about House Speaker John Boehner. This includes 32% with a Very Unfavorable view of Reid and 30% with a Very Unfavorable opinion of Boehner. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Boehner Is Now Less Popular Than Pelosi

House Speaker John Boehner has now unseated his Democratic predecessor Nancy Pelosi as the least-liked major congressional leader, a title Pelosi has held for several years.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 51% of Likely U.S. Voters now view Boehner unfavorably, while 50% feel that way about Pelosi. Just 31% have a favorable opinion of the Ohio congressman, compared to 37% who look favorably on the San Francisco Democrat.

Elections Haven’t Changed Negative Views of Top Congressional Leaders

Despite the noise and the passions of this year’s elections, all four of the top congressional leaders from both parties are back and remain just as unpopular as they were before Election Day. The same goes for Vice President Joe Biden.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, the leader of the House Democrats, is still the most unpopular as she has been since her years as Speaker of the House. But she’s closely followed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and current House Speaker John Boehner. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell continues to be the least well-known. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Given the holiday week, there will be no Rasmussen Challenge  this week. The contest will resume on Tuesday, November 27.

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The national survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on November 18-19, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Most Voters Still Have an Unfavorable View of Reid, Pelosi

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi continue to be the most disliked leaders of Congress, but none of the top congressional leaders earns high positive reviews from voters. 

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 29% of Likely U.S. Voters have at least a somewhat favorable impression of Pelosi, while 59% view her unfavorably.  Those figures include a Very Favorable review from 13%, compared to 46% who have a Very Unfavorable opinion of the California Democrat.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters nationwide was conducted on September 3-4, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Top Congressional Leaders Are A Little Less Disliked

Voters like the top Congressional leaders a little more this month—or rather, they dislike them a little less.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi remains the least-liked congressional leader, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Thirty-three percent (33%) of Likely U.S. Voters hold at least a somewhat favorable view of the former House speaker. Fifty-six percent (56%) see her at least somewhat unfavorably, but that’s down from 63% last month. These findings include 13% with a Very Favorable opinion and 44% with a Very Unfavorable one. Eleven percent (11%) do not know enough about Pelosi to offer an opinion. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters nationwide was conducted on June 7-8, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

23% View Harry Reid Favorably, 57% Don't

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker John Boehner are the leaders of their respective legislative chambers, but neither rates very high in the estimation of voters.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 23% of Likely U.S. Voters share a somewhat favorable opinion of Reid, while 57% view him unfavorably. This includes six percent (6%) with a Very Favorable regard for the Nevada Democrat and 37% who see him Very Unfavorably. Twenty-one percent (21%) have no opinion. Reid’s overall unfavorables tie findings in January which marked his highest negatives since the beginning of 2009.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on May 8-9, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Boehner Is Most Liked Congressional Leader, Pelosi Still Least-Liked

The current speaker of the House is the most-liked congressional leader, but he's even more disliked. However, his predecessor, who hasn't been in charge of the House for well over a year, remains the least-liked leader by far.

Thirty-seven percent (37%) of Likely U.S. Voters have at least a somewhat favorable opinion of House Speaker John Boehner, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.  But 42% have an unfavorable view of the Ohio Republican, although that's  down from last month’s all-time high of 50%. The new findings include 10% with a Very Favorable opinion of Boehner and 22% with a Very Unfavorable opinion. Twenty percent (20%) offer no opinion of him. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

New High: 50% View Boehner Unfavorably

House Speaker John Boehner is less liked than ever, but voters still reserve their lowest opinions for Democratic congressional leaders Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 32% of Likely U.S. Voters share at least a somewhat favorable opinion of Boehner. But 50% now view the Ohio Republican at least somewhat unfavorably, up seven points from last month and his highest unfavorable rating since he took over as speaker of the House in January of last year. Eighteen percent (18%) still don’t know enough about him to venture an opinion. The new findings include eight percent (8%) with a Very Favorable opinion of Boehner and 26% with a Very Unfavorable one. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on March 5-6, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Congressional Leaders Are Slightly Less Disliked This Month

Favorability ratings for the top four congressional leaders have improved slightly from last month’s all-time lows but are still far from positive.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely U.S. Voters shows that House Speaker John Boehner is viewed favorably by 34% and unfavorably by 43%. His overall favorable rating is virtually unchanged from last month, but his unfavorables are down 15 points.  The new findings include Very Favorable opinions from nine percent (9%) and Very Unfavorable marks from 23%. Another 23% still don’t know enough about the Ohio Republican to venture any kind of opinion.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on February 6-7, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Favorability Ratings For Top Congressional Leaders Hit Rock Bottom

Unfavorable reviews for all four top congressional leaders are at their highest levels in three years.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely U.S. Voters shows that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi remains the best-known but least-liked leader, with 66% sharing at least a somewhat unfavorable opinion of her. Twenty-six percent (26%) share a favorable view of the San Francisco Democrat. These numbers include Very Favorable marks from 10% and Very Unfavorable reviews from 48%. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
 

Pelosi’s negative rating is up from 62% last month.

Ratings for current Speaker John Boehner are also his worst measured. Thirty-five percent (35%) view the Ohio Republican congressman favorably, including eight percent (8%) who share a Very Favorable opinion. Forty-nine percent (49%) view Boehner unfavorably, including 27% who share a Very Unfavorable opinion of him. Sixteen percent (16%) still don’t know enough about him to venture any kind of opinion.

Negative reviews for Boehner are up from 42% in December and have ranged from 34% to 46% since he took over as speaker last January.

The new findings are perhaps no surprise given that voter approval of the entire Congress is at the lowest level ever recorded by Rasmussen Reports. More voters than ever also believe most members of Congress are corrupt.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls).  Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.  

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on January 5-6, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

37% Hold Favorable View of Boehner, 31% Say Same of Pelosi

It’s been nearly a year since she was arguably the most powerful person in Congress, but former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi remains the best-known and most unpopular congressional leader. She continues to hold a double-digit lead in terms of unfavorables over John Boehner who took her place as speaker.

Pelosi Remains Least Favorable Congressional Leader

While Congress’ overall job approval continues to hover around record lows, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi remains the most unpopular Congressional leader. 

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 63% of Likely Voters have at least a somewhat unfavorable opinion of Pelosi, just below her worst rating ever (64%) measured in July and February.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls).  Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The national survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on October 24-25, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Pelosi, Reid Still Least Favorable Congressional Leaders

Voters continue to dislike the top leaders in Congress which is one reason support for term limits remains high.  Voters still express more dissatisfaction with the Democratic leaders than their GOP counterparts.

59% Don't Like Pelosi, 41% Say Same of Boehner

Congress will return from its August recess next Tuesday, and its top leaders will come back just as disliked as when they left.

Voters View All Top Congressional Leaders More Negatively

House Speaker John Boehner is the only congressional leader whose favorables are up noticeably this month, but his negatives have risen even more as the debate over raising the federal debt ceiling drags on.

Voters Give Mixed Marks to Biden, Boehner; Still Don't Like Pelosi

Vice President Joseph Biden and House Speaker John Boehner have received an increase in media attention for being at the center of the ongoing debt ceiling negotiations, but voters have not changed their opinions of the two men.  Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi remains the most disliked leader on Capitol Hill.

Pelosi Is Still Least Popular Congressional Leader

While she's much less often in the news these days, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi remains Congress' most disliked leader. But Pelosi earns higher favorables than Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid whose popularity has fallen to its lowest level in over two years.

Favorable Ratings For Speaker Boehner Slip

The honeymoon period may be over for House Speaker John Boehner with his favorable marks falling sharply from last month's high.

Favorable Reviews Up Slightly for Top Congressional Leaders

Voters nationwide view the top members of Congress a little more favorably this month, with House Speaker John Boehner earning his highest positive rating to date.

Favorability Ratings Up for Boehner, Down for Pelosi, Reid, McConnell

Now that the new Congress is fully settled in, favorability ratings have dropped for all of the top leaders except Speaker of the House John Boehner.