Skip to content

Obama’s Poll Numbers Underwater for a Year

Obama hasn't had a Gallup approval rating over 50 percent since before his State of the Union address in 2013. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)
Obama hasn't had a Gallup approval rating over 50 percent since before his State of the Union address in 2013. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

President Barack Obama’s Gallup tracking poll numbers are about to hit an ignominious milestone — a solid year with more people disapproving than approving of his performance.  

One year ago, Obama’s approval numbers and disapproval numbers were bouncing around. His last positive result came Sept. 23-25, 2013, and 47 percent approved and 46 percent disapproved, according to Gallup’s website .  

Then a series of fall crises hit — the government shutdown, the disastrous rollout of Healthcare.gov and Obama’s admission that he failed to keep his “if you like it, you can keep it” promise . Obama hasn’t had a single day above water since then, though he came within a point a couple of times.  

And he hasn’t had an approval rating of 51 percent since a May 2013 Gallup poll. The tracking poll has its critics — Gallup had egg on its face after its polling suggested Romney would be president, but other polls have shown Obama’s poll ratings below 50 percent as well. And the RealClearPolitics polling average hasn’t had Obama with higher approval than disapproval since last June. The president’s persistent unpopularity is one reason why he’s been enlisted this year by his party primarily as the fundraiser in chief .  

Recently, Obama’s approval rating has seen an uptick in Gallup from a couple of ugly 38 percent prints in early September. It stood at 44/51 yesterday. But other polls showed broad weakness for the president, particularly as a series of foreign policy crises have hit in recent months.  

A senior administration official at a recent deep background briefing for reporters argued that Obama’s slumping poll numbers have more to do with world events happening in recent months — ISIS, Ukraine, etc. — than with the president. The official pointed instead to polls that showed support for the president’s individual policies.  

That might be cold comfort for Democrats, whom, unlike Obama, have to face the voters in November.  


Roll Call Election Map: Race Ratings for Every Seat


Get breaking news alerts and more from Roll Call in your inbox or on your iPhone.

Recent Stories

Capitol Lens | O’s face

Mayorkas impeachment headed to Senate for April 11 trial

Muslim American appeals court nominee loses Democratic support

At the Races: Lieberman lookback

Court says South Carolina can use current congressional map

Joseph Lieberman: A Capitol life in photos