(Angus Reid Global Scan) – Maine Republican Susan Collins and North Dakota Democrat Kent Conrad maintain the highest level of public support among members of the United States Senate, according to a poll by SurveyUSA. 72 per cent of respondents in the Pine Tree State and the Peace Garden State approve of their performance.
(Angus Reid Global Scan) – Maine Republican Susan Collins and North Dakota Democrat Kent Conrad maintain the highest level of public support among members of the United States Senate, according to a poll by SurveyUSA. 72 per cent of respondents in the Pine Tree State and the Peace Garden State approve of their performance.
The study gauged public opinion on the senators who represent each of the country’s 50 states. Maine Republican Olympia Snowe is next on the list with 71 per cent, followed by Illinois Democrat Barack Obama and Nebraska Democrat Ben Nelson with 70 per cent.
Hawaii Democrat Daniel Inouye, Mississippi Republican Trent Lott, South Dakota Democrat Tim Johnson, and Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy are tied with 69 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.
Kentucky Republican Jim Bunning and Montana Republican Conrad Burns are the lowest-ranked senators with 39 per cent and 38 per cent respectively.
The average approval rating for the Senate as a whole is 53 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 | Approve | Disapprove |
ME | Collins, Susan | R | 72% | 24% |
ND | Conrad, Kent | D | 72% | 22% |
ME | Snowe, Olympia | R | 71% | 25% |
IL | Obama, Barack | D | 70% | 25% |
NE | Nelson, Ben | D | 70% | 23% |
HI | Inouye, Daniel | D | 69% | 21% |
MS | Lott, Trent | R | 69% | 27% |
SD | Johnson, Tim | D | 69% | 24% |
VT | Leahy, Patrick | D | 69% | 26% |
RI | Reed, Jack | D | 68% | 23% |
ND | Dorgan, Byron | D | 66% | 28% |
WV | Rockefeller, Jay | D | 66% | 27% |
AK | Stevens, Ted | R | 65% | 29% |
MS | Cochran, Thad | R | 65% | 26% |
VT | Jeffords, James | I | 65% | 27% |
AZ | McCain, John | R | 64% | 29% |
DE | Carper, Thomas | D | 64% | 27% |
IA | Grassley, Charles | R | 64% | 27% |
ID | Crapo, Michael | R | 63% | 27% |
NM | Domenici, Pete | R | 63% | 28% |
VA | Warner, John | R | 63% | 24% |
WV | Byrd, Robert | D | 63% | 32% |
CT | Lieberman, Joseph | D | 62% | 31% |
NY | Rodham Clinton, Hillary | D | 61% | 36% |
DE | Biden, Joseph | D | 60% | 33% |
LA | Vitter, David | R | 60% | 33% |
NM | Bingaman, Jeff | D | 60% | 27% |
NY | Schumer, Charles | D | 60% | 30% |
WY | Thomas, Craig | R | 60% | 28% |
AL | Shelby, Richard | R | 59% | 31% |
HI | Akaka, Daniel | D | 59% | 28% |
ID | Craig, Larry | R | 59% | 32% |
IN | Lugar, Richard | R | 59% | 28% |
NE | Hagel, Chuck | R | 59% | 32% |
SC | Graham, Lindsey | R | 59% | 29% |
UT | Hatch, Orrin | R | 59% | 34% |
AL | Sessions, Jeff | R | 58% | 31% |
CA | Feinstein, Dianne | D | 58% | 32% |
IN | Bayh, Evan | D | 58% | 30% |
MA | Kennedy, Edward | D | 58% | 38% |
NV | Reid, Harry | D | 58% | 36% |
AR | Pryor, Mark | D | 57% | 29% |
MD | Mikulski, Barbara | D | 57% | 33% |
MT | Baucus, Max | D | 57% | 32% |
NH | Gregg, Judd | R | 57% | 31% |
OR | Wyden, Ron | D | 57% | 32% |
PA | Specter, Arlen | R | 57% | 38% |
TN | Alexander, Lamar | R | 57% | 32% |
WY | Enzi, Michael | R | 57% | 30% |
MI | Levin, Carl | D | 56% | 33% |
NC | Dole, Elizabeth | R | 56% | 35% |
SD | Thune, John | R | 56% | 39% |
TX | Hutchison, Kay | R | 56% | 35% |
UT | Bennett, Robert | R | 56% | 31% |
CT | Dodd, Christopher | D | 55% | 34% |
MN | Coleman, Norm | R | 55% | 38% |
WI | Kohl, Herb | D | 55% | 36% |
AK | Murkowski, Lisa | R | 54% | 39% |
CO | Ken Salazar | D | 54% | 34% |
TN | Frist, Bill | R | 54% | 39% |
IA | Harkin, Tom | D | 53% | 39% |
LA | Landrieu, Mary | D | 53% | 42% |
MA | Kerry, John | D | 53% | 43% |
MO | Bond, Kit | R | 53% | 35% |
WA | Murray, Patty | D | 53% | 39% |
AR | Lincoln, Blanche | D | 52% | 37% |
CA | Boxer, Barbara | D | 52% | 37% |
KS | Brownback, Sam | R | 52% | 37% |
NH | Sununu, John | R | 52% | 36% |
NV | Ensign, John | R | 52% | 34% |
RI | Chafee, Lincoln | R | 52% | 42% |
WI | Feingold, Russell | D | 52% | 41% |
MO | Talent, Jim | R | 51% | 38% |
SC | DeMint, Jim | R | 51% | 35% |
VA | Allen, George | R | 51% | 31% |
WA | Cantwell, Maria | D | 51% | 38% |
GA | Chambliss, Saxby | R | 50% | 36% |
KS | Roberts, Pat | R | 50% | 38% |
OR | Smith, Gordon | R | 50% | 38% |
FL | Nelson, Bill | D | 49% | 30% |
GA | Isakson, Johnny | R | 49% | 36% |
KY | McConnell, Mitch | R | 49% | 40% |
OK | Coburn, Tom | R | 49% | 37% |
IL | Durbin, Richard | D | 48% | 42% |
MI | Stabenow, Debbie | D | 48% | 40% |
MN | Dayton, Mark | D | 48% | 42% |
NC | Burr, Richard | R | 48% | 37% |
CO | Allard, Wayne | R | 47% | 37% |
MD | Sarbanes, Paul | D | 46% | 36% |
NJ | Menendez, Robert | D | 46% | 30% |
OH | DeWine, Mike | R | 46% | 39% |
OH | Voinovich, George | R | 46% | 41% |
OK | Inhofe, James | R | 46% | 39% |
AZ | Kyl, Jon | R | 45% | 36% |
NJ | Lautenberg, Frank | D | 45% | 38% |
TX | Cornyn, John | R | 44% | 38% |
FL | Martinez, Mel | R | 43% | 39% |
PA | Santorum, Rick | R | 43% | 48% |
KY | Bunning, Jim | R | 39% | 47% |
MT | Burns, Conrad | R | 38% | 52% |
U.S. Average | 53% | 36% |
Source: SurveyUSA
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 600 adult residents of each of the country’s 50 states, conducted from Mar. 10 to Mar. 12, 2006. Margins of error for each state range from 3.8 to 4.1 per cent.
