New Gallup Poll: GOP’s Popularity Decline since the Capitol Riot ...
... and likely to decline further as the Senate Trial rolls on despite the fact that conviction will most likely not occur.
forbes.com
Topline: Republican lawmakers have tried to distance themselves from the January 6 Capitol riot and nearly all have universally denounced it, but a new survey published Wednesday shows the attack has negatively affected Americans’ perception of the party.
Key Facts:
• A new Gallup poll, conducted January 21-February 2 with a sample of 906 adults, found just 37% of Americans have a positive view of the Republican Party, a decrease from 43% in November.
• Notably, this six point drop was driven most by those who identify as Republicans, whose favorable rating of GOP dropped 12 points, from 90% to 78%.
• 48% of Americans have a positive view of the Democratic Party, up three points since November.
• That increase, according to Gallup, was caused by independents, whose favorable rating of the party increased seven points since November.
• The last time the GOP’s favorability rating dropped below 40% was January 2019, when a dispute over funding for Trump’s border wall caused a partial government shutdown.
• Not since October 2013—when Republicans attempted to defund elements of the Affordable Care Act, leading to a fight with Democrats and a partial government shutdown—has the Democratic Party enjoyed a double-digit margin in favorability.
Key Background: The survey comes as Republicans bicker over the future of the party with former President Donald Trump out of office and facing his second impeachment trial.
Crucial Quote: Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the third most powerful Republican in the House who was one of 10 GOP lawmakers to vote to impeach Trump last month, called on her colleagues to move past the former president in an interview Sunday. “We should not be embracing the former POTUS,” Cheney said, referring to Trump. Other Republican leaders, such as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, have tried to prove the party still looks to Trump as a leader. After saying Trump “bears responsibility” for the riot, McCarthy traveled to Mar-a-Lago last week to talk strategy with Trump, drawing criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike.
Surprising Fact: Thousands of registered Republicans in states all across the country have renounced their party registration in the wake of the Capitol riot, according to NPR. From January 6-January 12, 4,600 Republicans switched their party registration in Colorado, while 6,000 GOP voters did the same in North Carolina, 10,000 in Pennsylvania, and 5,000 in Arizona during similar time periods. More than 140,000 Republicans across 25 states (which publish available data) ditched the party in November, according to an analysis conducted by the New York Times.
Small Number: 28%. That was the Republican Party’s favorability rating in October 2013, the lowest it has ever been, according to Gallup. From 2013-2018, the GOP’s average favorability ratings was 39%, Gallup says. <<
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- - Eric L - |
