Approval Ratings Hit 5-Year High for Republicans
U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican from Ohio, second right, speaks during a news conference with Representative Steve Scalise, a Republican from Louisiana, left, following a House leadership election on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, June 19, 2014.
Photographer: Pete Marovich/BloombergRepublicans are enjoying a five-year peak in popularity after their wins in the midterm elections, according to a new Bloomberg Politics poll, while President Barack Obama struggles with his lowest job approval rating, at 39 percent. The White House also is facing a backlash from independents who oppose his unilateral moves on immigration, and just 24 percent say the country is on the right track, the lowest rating since September 2011.
Obama's weakened standing comes as he and the rising congressional Republican leaders are poised to become partners—or adversaries—in guiding the nation. They will start in January on more equal footing, the poll shows. Forty-five percent of Americans say they now view the Republican Party favorably, while 47 percent hold an unfavorable view. That’s the best showing the party has had since the inception of the poll in September 2009. Opinion about the Democratic Party has plunged, with a favorable rating of 41 percent and an unfavorable rating of 50 percent. This was Democrats’ worst showing in more than five years.