New Poll Shows “Most Unknown” Senator in America is Michigan’s Gary Peters

Morning Consult Debuts New Senator Approval Rankings

New Rankings Based on Over 140k Interviews Across the U.S.

A Majority of Senators See Their Net Approval Drop

Bernie Sanders is the Most Popular Senator, Mitch McConnell is the Least

Washington, D.C. (July 11, 2017) — Today, Morning Consult released the latest edition of its Senator Approval Rankings – the definitive ranking of every senator in America. The rankings were compiled using over 140,000 interviews with registered voters across the U.S. from April through June 2017. The full methodology is available below.

Full Rankings

Highlights Include:

Across the board, Senators see their approval rankings drop: The average senator’s approval ranking dropped by over 3 net percentage points since the first quarter. Overall, only 7 senators saw positive swings in net approval (approve minus disapprove) outside of the surveys’ margins of error in their respective states.

How Potential 2020 Democratic Presidential Contenders Are Faring in Their Home State:

• Cory Booker (50% approve, 32% disapprove) (0% net change since Q1)
• Sherrod Brown (50% approve, 29% disapprove) (-1% net change)
• Al Franken (56% approve, 33% disapprove) (-3% net change)
• Kirsten Gillibrand (53% approve, 23% disapprove) (-4% net change)
• Kamala Harris (51% approve, 24% disapprove) (-2% net change)
• Amy Klobuchar (59% approve, 28% disapprove) (-6% net change)
• Chris Murphy (53% approve, 33% disapprove) (-2% net change)
• Bernie Sanders (75% approve, 21% disapprove) (+0% net change)
• Mark Warner (58% approve, 28% disapprove) (-2% net change)
• Elizabeth Warren (57% approve, 35% disapprove) (+4% net change)

Vulnerable moderate Democrats are mostly navigating the Trump era well: Despite the general downward trend senators are facing, moderate Democrats up for reelection in 2018 have largely faired ok. In this group, just one senator (Jon Tester) has had his approval ranking drop since last quarter.

• Heidi Heitkamp (60% approve, 28% disapprove) (+4% net change since Q1)
• Joe Manchin (57% approve, 31% disapprove) (+2% net change)
• Bill Nelson (53% approve, 25% disapprove) (+1% net change)
• Jon Tester (50% approve, 39% disapprove) (-14% net change)
• Joe Donnelly (53% approve, 25% disapprove) (+8% net change)
• Claire McCaskill (46% approve, 38% disapprove) (+0% net change)

Arizona’s Jeff Flake and John McCain see a decline in scores: Both of Arizona’s senators, who have been critical of Trump, have seen their approval scores drop and their disapprovals rise:

• McCain: (43% approve, 47% disapprove) (-12% net change since Q1)
• Flake: (37% approve, 45% disapprove) (-14% net change)

Bernie Sanders keeps the title as the most popular senator in America: Vermont voters approve of their independent senator by a margin of 75% to 21%. His net approval (approve-disapprove) of 59% rose remained static since the last quarter.

Mitch McConnell maintains his position as the most unpopular senator in America, and one of only three senators to have an approval rating that is underwater (41% approve, 48% disapprove).

Methodology: Morning Consult surveyed 141,400 registered voters online across America from April 1 to June 18, 2017  to determine the Q2 Senator Approval Rankings. Using parameters for registered voters from the November 2012 Current Population Survey (CPS), Morning Consult applied post-stratification weights based on gender, age, educational attainment and race. Margin of error and sample size vary for each state (see table below). More on our methodology is available at this link.

Media Contacts:

Jeff Cartwright | jeff@morningconsult.com | 763-234-7431

Nick Laughlin | nlaughlin@morningconsult.com | 267-252-4187