Obama Approval Rating Drops Again in Gallup Poll (Updated)
Updated 7:20 p.m. | With two days before Election Day, the Gallup poll has the President Barack Obama’s approval rating approaching the worst of his presidency.
The Gallup daily tracking poll had Obama’s approval rating at just 40 percent, down 3 points from Oct. 30. His disapproval rating held steady Sunday at an ugly 54 percent. It’s worth noting that in many battleground states where control of the Senate will be won or lost, Obama’s poll ratings have been even worse, providing a significant drag on his party’s prospects.
Obama’s campaigning has been confined to strongly blue states where Senate races are not being fiercely contested. On Sunday, with the chamber appearing to be tilting toward the GOP, the president headed to Connecticut for a campaign event for Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and later a campaign event in Philadelphia for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf. Wolf is favored by the Rothenberg Political Report/Roll Call to win. Malloy’s race is rated a Tossup. (Full race ratings and map ).
On Monday, the last day before the elections, Obama tellingly will be ensconced in the West Wing. He has no public events on his public schedule released late Sunday.
President George W. Bush in 2006 had just a 38 percent approval rating when Democrats swept into power, Gallup Editor-in-Chief Frank Newport said in a video last week .
Obama’s approval rating is also close to a personal low for him in the RealClearPolitics average. Newport noted that the president’s approval rating has strongly correlated to the results in midterm elections. President Ronald Reagan had poor poll ratings in the 1982 midterm elections and his party lost significant ground in both chambers.
Obama’s approval rating in 2010 — when Democrats lost the House — was 44 percent, per Gallup.
Obama could set a modern record for midterm-election losses dating back to President Harry S. Truman.
Roll Call Election Map: Race Ratings for Every Seat
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