CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – A new poll has come out with rankings on where US Senators currently stand in popularity among their constituents.
The data analysis company Morning Consult Pro released a new poll with the end of the second quarter of the year to determine which senators are the most popular among those who put them in office. The company surveyed voters from all 50 states, and publishes new rankings quarterly.
According to the company’s most recent study, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) ranks as the least popular senator with nearly 3 out of 5 Kentucky voters expressing disapproval. According to the poll, 61% of voters disapprove of McConnell, 32% approve, and 7% do not have an opinion on the senator.
Following McConnell at the second-least popular senator is West Virginia’s Senator Joe Manchin (D). According to the poll, Manchin has a 39% approval rating, with 55% of constituents disapproving and 7% having no opinion on Manchin’s job performance.
The study also found that Manchin is actually less popular than West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R), who is running for his seat. Justice ranks as the tenth-most popular governor, according to Morning Consult Pro, with an approval rating of 62%. Manchin has not declared if he will run for re-election.
Following McConnell and Justice, the third through tenth least popular US Senators are Susan Collins (R-Maine), Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Krysten Sinema (I-Arizona), John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Raphael Warnock (D-Georgia).
The most popular senator, the study found, is Wyoming’s Senator John Barrasso (R) with a rank of 7 out of 10 Wyoming voters approving of his job performance. The poll found Barrasso had an approval rate of 70% among voters, with 18% disapproving and 11% having no opinion.
Coming in behind Barrasso for most popular, from second to tenth place are Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), John Thune (R-South Dakota), Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota), Angus King (I-Maine), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Peter Welch (D-Vermont), and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming)
Of the 10 most popular senators, the poll found only Bernie Sanders has no constituents without an opinion. He has a 63% approval rating, with 36% of voters disapproving of the senator.
The study also found that of the seven senate seats currently held by democrats, only Manchin’s approval rate is “underwater,” according to Morning Consult Pro. However, his approval rate among Mountain State voters still remains higher than President Joe Biden’s rating.
Along with Manchin, the six other seats up for grabs that the nation will be watching in 2024 are those of Jon Tester (D-Montana), Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Bob Casey (D-Pennsylvania), Tim Kaine (D-Virginia), and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin).
With their first six months in office now finished, Morning Consult Pro also took a look at where the freshman senators stand at the end of the second quarter. According to the poll, J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) has a 44% approval rating, Katie Britt (R-Alabama) has 54%, Ted Budd (R-North Carolina) has 42%, John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) has 44%, Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma) has 47%, Eric Schmitt (R-Montana) has 45%, and Peter Welch (D-Vermont) has the highest rating among the freshmen senators with a 61% approval rating.