Mitch McConnell — Still America’s Least Popular Senator

Of the 100 members of the Senate, there is only one who is underwater in the eyes of his constituents, according to the new Morning Consult Senator Approval Rankings. And it happens to be chamber’s most powerful member: Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

More than 85,000 registered voters across America evaluated the job performance of their senators from from January 2017 through March 2017 to determine the latest rankings (Full Methodology).

Forty-four percent of Kentucky voters say they approve of the 30-year Senate veteran, while 47 percent disapprove, making him the only senator with a net negative approval rating. It’s not all bad news for McConnell, though: He’s trending in the right direction when you consider what voters from the Bluegrass State thought of him ahead of the 2016 elections. In September, more than half (51 percent) said they disapproved of McConnell, compared with 39 percent who approved of his performance.

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McConnell has consistently been the least popular senator in the Morning Consult rankings, but he’s closer than ever to breaking even. At the other end of the spectrum is the fiery Vermont independent, Bernie Sanders, who retains his place atop the list as the country’s most popular senator.

Three-quarters (75 percent) of Vermonters approve of the liberal firebrand who finished as runner-up to Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic presidential primary, compared with 21 percent who disapprove. However, Sanders’ elevation to national prominence does appear to have compromised his standing among some of his constituents. His approval was down 12 points (from 87 percent) compared with his numbers in September, while his disapproval was up 9 points (from 12 percent).

The national limelight also brought a small decline to another member of the Senate Democratic Caucus. Tim Kaine of Virginia, who served as Clinton’s running mate, saw his disapproval rise 10 points, from 26 percent to 36 percent, although 50 percent of Virginians still approve of his job performance.

Senate Republicans had a challenging map to defend in 2016, and proof of the party’s performance, which exceeded expectations, can be found in the approval rankings of several members.

The best example is Sen. Rob Portman, who was originally pegged as one of the most vulnerable members of the cycle. The Ohio Republican now has the approval of 53 percent of his constituents, compared with 40 percent in September. His negatives have also dropped 4 points, from 31 percent to 27 percent.

Other Republican incumbents who faced a barrage of negative ads in 2016 also seem to have recovered in terms of perception.

-Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s net rating rose by 10 points.

-Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul’s net rating rose by 5 points.

-Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey ‘s net rating rose by 3 points.

-Arizona Sen. John McCain’s net rating rose by 2 points.

Two Republicans, Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt (by 5 points) and Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson (by 2 points), saw minor dips.

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Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska saw the biggest drop among incumbents who ran in 2016, as well as the biggest drop overall: Her net approval dropped 26 points, although more than half (53 percent) of Alaskans still approve of her job performance, compared with 40 percent who do not.

Senate delegations from smaller states tended to be more popular among their voters, with Wyoming and Vermont leading the way in terms of net approval. North Carolina, a perennial presidential battleground state, has the least popular delegation.

Alabama Sen. Luther Strange (R) is not included in the list because he recently replaced Jeff Sessions, who now serves as attorney general.