(Angus Reid Global Scan) – Three politicians hold the highest level of public support among members of the United States Senate, according to a poll by Survey USA. 72 per cent of respondents approve of the performance of Maine Republicans Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, and South Dakota Democrat Tim Johnson.
(Angus Reid Global Scan) – Three politicians hold the highest level of public support among members of the United States Senate, according to a poll by Survey USA. 72 per cent of respondents approve of the performance of Maine Republicans Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, and South Dakota Democrat Tim Johnson.
North Dakota Democrats Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan are next on the list with 71 per cent, followed by Illinois Democrat Barack Obama with 70 per cent.
In the U.S., senators are elected to six-year terms in dual-seat constituencies. A third of the country’s upper house is renewed every two years. The Republican Party currently has a majority in the Senate, with 55 members in the 100-seat upper house.
New Jersey Democrats Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez with 39 per cent—and Pennsylvania Republican Rick Santorum with 36 per cent—are the lowest-ranked senators.
The average approval rating for the Senate as a whole is 51 per cent. American voters will renew the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate on Nov. 7.
Polling Data
Do you approve or disapprove of the performance of your U.S. senator?
State | U.S. Senator | Party | Sr/Jr | Approve | Disapprove |
ME | Collins, Susan | R | Jr | 72% | 25% |
SD | Johnson, Tim | D | Sr | 72% | 22% |
ME | Snowe, Olympia | R | Sr | 72% | 24% |
ND | Conrad, Kent | D | Sr | 71% | 24% |
ND | Dorgan, Byron | D | Jr | 71% | 25% |
IL | Obama, Barack | D | Jr | 70% | 25% |
HI | Inouye, Daniel | D | Sr | 68% | 24% |
NE | Nelson, Ben | D | Jr | 68% | 27% |
RI | Reed, Jack | D | Sr | 68% | 24% |
VT | Leahy, Patrick | D | Sr | 67% | 27% |
MS | Lott, Trent | R | Jr | 67% | 31% |
WV | Rockefeller, Jay | D | Jr | 66% | 29% |
WV | Byrd, Robert | D | Sr | 65% | 32% |
MS | Cochran, Thad | R | Sr | 65% | 29% |
NM | Domenici, Pete | R | Sr | 65% | 27% |
DE | Biden, Joseph | D | Sr | 64% | 33% |
IA | Grassley, Charles | R | Sr | 64% | 29% |
MT | Baucus, Max | D | Sr | 63% | 33% |
IN | Bayh, Evan | D | Jr | 62% | 33% |
DE | Carper, Thomas | D | Jr | 62% | 31% |
IN | Lugar, Richard | R | Sr | 62% | 30% |
AZ | McCain, John | R | Sr | 62% | 35% |
WY | Thomas, Craig | R | Sr | 62% | 32% |
NY | Rodham Clinton, Hillary | D | Jr | 61% | 35% |
ID | Crapo, Michael | R | Jr | 61% | 28% |
AK | Stevens, Ted | R | Sr | 61% | 34% |
VT | Jeffords, James | I | Jr | 60% | 32% |
WI | Kohl, Herb | D | Sr | 60% | 33% |
AL | Sessions, Jeff | R | Jr | 60% | 32% |
LA | Vitter, David | R | Jr | 60% | 33% |
NM | Bingaman, Jeff | D | Jr | 59% | 32% |
ID | Craig, Larry | R | Sr | 59% | 33% |
WY | Enzi, Michael | R | Jr | 59% | 34% |
NE | Hagel, Chuck | R | Sr | 59% | 34% |
CT | Lieberman, Joseph | D | Jr | 59% | 37% |
OR | Wyden, Ron | D | Sr | 59% | 33% |
SC | Graham, Lindsey | R | Sr | 58% | 34% |
TX | Hutchison, Kay | R | Sr | 58% | 35% |
LA | Landrieu, Mary | D | Sr | 58% | 39% |
MD | Mikulski, Barbara | D | Jr | 58% | 35% |
VA | Warner, John | R | Sr | 57% | 33% |
MA | Kennedy, Edward | D | Sr | 56% | 40% |
NY | Schumer, Charles | D | Sr | 56% | 35% |
AL | Shelby, Richard | R | Sr | 56% | 35% |
SD | Thune, John | R | Jr | 56% | 40% |
TN | Alexander, Lamar | R | Jr | 55% | 36% |
CT | Dodd, Christopher | D | Sr | 55% | 37% |
UT | Hatch, Orrin | R | Sr | 55% | 39% |
MI | Levin, Carl | D | Sr | 55% | 38% |
IL | Durbin, Richard | D | Sr | 54% | 37% |
NH | Gregg, Judd | R | Sr | 54% | 36% |
WA | Murray, Patty | D | Sr | 54% | 38% |
VA | Allen, George | R | Jr | 53% | 37% |
CA | Feinstein, Dianne | D | Sr | 53% | 41% |
MA | Kerry, John | D | Jr | 53% | 43% |
AR | Pryor, Mark | D | Jr | 53% | 35% |
WA | Cantwell, Maria | D | Jr | 52% | 39% |
RI | Chafee, Lincoln | R | Jr | 52% | 40% |
OK | Coburn, Tom | R | Jr | 52% | 40% |
MN | Coleman, Norm | R | Jr | 52% | 38% |
CO | Ken Salazar | D | Jr | 52% | 39% |
AR | Lincoln, Blanche | D | Sr | 52% | 38% |
KY | McConnell, Mitch | R | Sr | 52% | 41% |
CA | Boxer, Barbara | D | Jr | 51% | 43% |
IA | Harkin, Tom | D | Jr | 51% | 43% |
AK | Murkowski, Lisa | R | Jr | 51% | 45% |
NV | Reid, Harry | D | Sr | 51% | 44% |
HI | Akaka, Daniel | D | Jr | 50% | 41% |
SC | DeMint, Jim | R | Jr | 50% | 38% |
NC | Dole, Elizabeth | R | Sr | 50% | 42% |
NV | Ensign, John | R | Jr | 50% | 37% |
WI | Feingold, Russell | D | Jr | 50% | 45% |
OR | Smith, Gordon | R | Jr | 50% | 41% |
PA | Specter, Arlen | R | Sr | 50% | 45% |
UT | Bennett, Robert | R | Jr | 49% | 35% |
KS | Roberts, Pat | R | Jr | 49% | 40% |
MO | Bond, Kit | R | Sr | 48% | 41% |
KS | Brownback, Sam | R | Sr | 48% | 41% |
OK | Inhofe, James | R | Sr | 48% | 43% |
NH | Sununu, John | R | Jr | 48% | 42% |
OH | Voinovich, George | R | Jr | 48% | 42% |
TN | Frist, Bill | R | Sr | 47% | 47% |
MI | Stabenow, Debbie | D | Jr | 47% | 42% |
OH | DeWine, Mike | R | Sr | 46% | 43% |
MD | Sarbanes, Paul | D | Sr | 46% | 40% |
GA | Isakson, Johnny | R | Jr | 45% | 42% |
CO | Allard, Wayne | R | Sr | 44% | 46% |
GA | Chambliss, Saxby | R | Sr | 44% | 45% |
AZ | Kyl, Jon | R | Jr | 44% | 47% |
TX | Cornyn, John | R | Jr | 43% | 47% |
FL | Martinez, Mel | R | Jr | 43% | 44% |
MO | Talent, Jim | R | Jr | 43% | 44% |
FL | Nelson, Bill | D | Sr | 42% | 42% |
NC | Burr, Richard | R | Jr | 41% | 45% |
MN | Dayton, Mark | D | Sr | 41% | 46% |
KY | Bunning, Jim | R | Jr | 40% | 48% |
MT | Burns, Conrad | R | Jr | 40% | 56% |
NJ | Lautenberg, Frank | D | Sr | 39% | 45% |
NJ | Menendez, Robert | D | Jr | 39% | 39% |
PA | Santorum, Rick | R | Jr | 36% | 57% |
U.S. Average | 51% | 40% |
Source: SurveyUSA
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 600 adult residents of each of the country’s 50 states, conducted from May 12 to May 14, 2006. Margins of error for each state range from 3.8 to 4.1 per cent.
