02-13-2018, 08:21 PM
(This post was last modified: 02-13-2018, 08:22 PM by Eric the Green.)
Trump Makes Gains Ahead of Midterms but Risks Remain for GOP
Political experts say rise in net approval ratings among voters reflects in part a solid U.S. economy
BY CAMERON EASLEY
February 13, 2018
https://morningconsult.com/2018/02/13/tr...tate-poll/
While Trump’s net approval rating remained 7 points underwater in January — with 44 percent of registered voters approving of his job performance and 51 percent disapproving — the number represents a 2-point bump compared with his rating in September and a 4-point bump from October and November.
Much of that gain was driven by an increase of enthusiastic support from Republican voters: Forty-eight percent of those voters in January said they strongly approve of Trump, compared with 43 percent in September.
Some experts suggest Trump’s improved standing with the public, and Republican voters in particular, was partly due to rosy economic indicators during this period — from stock market gains to strong employment figures — and Republican lawmakers’ overhaul of the country’s tax code, despite the public’s mixed response to certain parts of the legislation.
The improvement in Trump’s approval rating since the fall “most fundamentally reflects the economy,” Allan Lichtman, a political historian at American University, said in a Feb. 4 interview. A secondary factor is that Trump “did finally get something done in Congress with the tax bill.”
Daniel Hopkins, a political science professor at the University of Pennsylvania, said the passage of the tax bill has eased GOP voters’ concerns “that the Trump administration wouldn’t be able to advance a traditional GOP agenda.”
“Any lingering worry that Trump wouldn’t be loyal to the GOP’s priorities is likely to be history,” he said in a Feb. 5 email.
The improvement in Trump’s popularity doesn’t mean Republican lawmakers shouldn’t be concerned about the midterm elections, Lichtman noted.
“I don’t think there’s much that can happen between now and November that’s going to dampen the enthusiasm of the anti-Trump vote,” he said.
![[Image: trump_state_change.png]](https://morningconsult.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/trump_state_change.png)
See all approval and disapproval % in all 51 states at the website.
Political experts say rise in net approval ratings among voters reflects in part a solid U.S. economy
BY CAMERON EASLEY
February 13, 2018
https://morningconsult.com/2018/02/13/tr...tate-poll/
While Trump’s net approval rating remained 7 points underwater in January — with 44 percent of registered voters approving of his job performance and 51 percent disapproving — the number represents a 2-point bump compared with his rating in September and a 4-point bump from October and November.
Much of that gain was driven by an increase of enthusiastic support from Republican voters: Forty-eight percent of those voters in January said they strongly approve of Trump, compared with 43 percent in September.
Some experts suggest Trump’s improved standing with the public, and Republican voters in particular, was partly due to rosy economic indicators during this period — from stock market gains to strong employment figures — and Republican lawmakers’ overhaul of the country’s tax code, despite the public’s mixed response to certain parts of the legislation.
The improvement in Trump’s approval rating since the fall “most fundamentally reflects the economy,” Allan Lichtman, a political historian at American University, said in a Feb. 4 interview. A secondary factor is that Trump “did finally get something done in Congress with the tax bill.”
Daniel Hopkins, a political science professor at the University of Pennsylvania, said the passage of the tax bill has eased GOP voters’ concerns “that the Trump administration wouldn’t be able to advance a traditional GOP agenda.”
“Any lingering worry that Trump wouldn’t be loyal to the GOP’s priorities is likely to be history,” he said in a Feb. 5 email.
The improvement in Trump’s popularity doesn’t mean Republican lawmakers shouldn’t be concerned about the midterm elections, Lichtman noted.
“I don’t think there’s much that can happen between now and November that’s going to dampen the enthusiasm of the anti-Trump vote,” he said.
See all approval and disapproval % in all 51 states at the website.