(Angus Reid Global Scan) – North Dakota’s Kent Conrad is the most popular member of the upper house in the United States, according to a poll by Survey USA. 75 per cent of respondents in the Peace Garden State approve of their senator’s performance.
(Angus Reid Global Scan) – North Dakota’s Kent Conrad is the most popular member of the upper house in the United States, according to a poll by Survey USA. 75 per cent of respondents in the Peace Garden State approve of their senator’s performance.
Maine Republican Susan Collins is next on the list with 73 per cent, followed by Nebraska Democrat Ben Nelson with 72 per cent, and Illinois Democrat Barack Obama with 71 per cent. The rating for North Dakota Democrat Byron Dorgan, Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy and Maine Republican Olympia Snowe stands at 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.
The lowest-ranked members of the U.S. Senate are Ohio Republican Mike DeWine and New Jersey Democrats Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez with 41 per cent; Minnesota Democrat Mark Dayton with 40 per cent; and Montana Republican Conrad Burns and Pennsylvania Republican Rick Santorum with 36 per cent each. DeWine, Menendez, Burns and Santorum are all seeking re-election this year.
The average approval rating for the Senate as a whole is 52 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 |
ND | Conrad, Kent | D | Sr | 75% | 19% |
ME | Collins, Susan | R | Jr | 73% | 24% |
NE | Nelson, Ben | D | Jr | 72% | 24% |
IL | Obama, Barack | D | Jr | 71% | 25% |
ND | Dorgan, Byron | D | Jr | 70% | 25% |
VT | Leahy, Patrick | D | Sr | 70% | 26% |
ME | Snowe, Olympia | R | Sr | 70% | 27% |
WV | Byrd, Robert | D | Sr | 67% | 30% |
MS | Cochran, Thad | R | Sr | 66% | 27% |
MS | Lott, Trent | R | Jr | 66% | 29% |
NM | Domenici, Pete | R | Sr | 65% | 30% |
SD | Johnson, Tim | D | Sr | 65% | 30% |
DE | Biden, Joseph | D | Sr | 64% | 31% |
VT | Jeffords, James | I | Jr | 64% | 30% |
AZ | McCain, John | R | Sr | 64% | 32% |
RI | Reed, Jack | D | Sr | 64% | 29% |
WV | Rockefeller, Jay | D | Jr | 64% | 31% |
NY | Schumer, Charles | D | Sr | 64% | 28% |
AK | Stevens, Ted | R | Sr | 64% | 32% |
IA | Grassley, Charles | R | Sr | 63% | 30% |
HI | Inouye, Daniel | D | Sr | 63% | 27% |
DE | Carper, Thomas | D | Jr | 62% | 27% |
NY | Rodham Clinton, Hillary | D | Jr | 62% | 34% |
TX | Hutchison, Kay | R | Sr | 62% | 30% |
MD | Mikulski, Barbara | D | Jr | 62% | 31% |
LA | Vitter, David | R | Jr | 62% | 29% |
NM | Bingaman, Jeff | D | Jr | 60% | 32% |
WY | Enzi, Michael | R | Jr | 60% | 31% |
MT | Baucus, Max | D | Sr | 59% | 35% |
ID | Crapo, Michael | R | Jr | 59% | 31% |
IN | Lugar, Richard | R | Sr | 59% | 33% |
AL | Sessions, Jeff | R | Jr | 59% | 31% |
AL | Shelby, Richard | R | Sr | 59% | 31% |
ID | Craig, Larry | R | Sr | 58% | 35% |
NC | Dole, Elizabeth | R | Sr | 58% | 34% |
MA | Kennedy, Edward | D | Sr | 58% | 37% |
WI | Kohl, Herb | D | Sr | 58% | 34% |
NE | Hagel, Chuck | R | Sr | 57% | 36% |
UT | Hatch, Orrin | R | Sr | 57% | 37% |
MA | Kerry, John | D | Jr | 57% | 38% |
AR | Pryor, Mark | D | Jr | 57% | 36% |
WY | Thomas, Craig | R | Sr | 57% | 34% |
SD | Thune, John | R | Jr | 57% | 39% |
VA | Warner, John | R | Sr | 57% | 30% |
CA | Feinstein, Dianne | D | Sr | 56% | 38% |
AR | Lincoln, Blanche | D | Sr | 56% | 38% |
OR | Wyden, Ron | D | Sr | 56% | 33% |
CT | Dodd, Christopher | D | Sr | 55% | 37% |
IA | Harkin, Tom | D | Jr | 55% | 39% |
CT | Lieberman, Joseph | D | Jr | 55% | 41% |
IN | Bayh, Evan | D | Jr | 54% | 40% |
SC | Graham, Lindsey | R | Sr | 54% | 38% |
UT | Bennett, Robert | R | Jr | 53% | 34% |
OK | Coburn, Tom | R | Jr | 53% | 38% |
NH | Gregg, Judd | R | Sr | 53% | 37% |
CO | Ken Salazar | D | Jr | 53% | 40% |
VA | Allen, George | R | Jr | 52% | 35% |
MO | Bond, Kit | R | Sr | 52% | 40% |
SC | DeMint, Jim | R | Jr | 52% | 38% |
NV | Ensign, John | R | Jr | 52% | 37% |
MI | Levin, Carl | D | Sr | 52% | 38% |
TN | Alexander, Lamar | R | Jr | 51% | 38% |
CA | Boxer, Barbara | D | Jr | 51% | 42% |
GA | Chambliss, Saxby | R | Sr | 51% | 37% |
IL | Durbin, Richard | D | Sr | 51% | 40% |
GA | Isakson, Johnny | R | Jr | 51% | 38% |
KY | McConnell, Mitch | R | Sr | 51% | 40% |
WA | Murray, Patty | D | Sr | 51% | 40% |
NV | Reid, Harry | D | Sr | 51% | 43% |
KS | Roberts, Pat | R | Jr | 51% | 40% |
KS | Brownback, Sam | R | Sr | 50% | 41% |
WI | Feingold, Russell | D | Jr | 50% | 45% |
RI | Chafee, Lincoln | R | Jr | 49% | 44% |
OK | Inhofe, James | R | Sr | 49% | 41% |
LA | Landrieu, Mary | D | Sr | 49% | 47% |
AK | Murkowski, Lisa | R | Jr | 49% | 45% |
FL | Nelson, Bill | D | Sr | 49% | 36% |
PA | Specter, Arlen | R | Sr | 49% | 43% |
MI | Stabenow, Debbie | D | Jr | 49% | 40% |
HI | Akaka, Daniel | D | Jr | 48% | 43% |
NC | Burr, Richard | R | Jr | 48% | 39% |
WA | Cantwell, Maria | D | Jr | 48% | 43% |
MN | Coleman, Norm | R | Jr | 48% | 46% |
MD | Sarbanes, Paul | D | Sr | 48% | 39% |
NH | Sununu, John | R | Jr | 48% | 43% |
MO | Talent, Jim | R | Jr | 48% | 43% |
TX | Cornyn, John | R | Jr | 47% | 36% |
OR | Smith, Gordon | R | Jr | 47% | 41% |
OH | Voinovich, George | R | Jr | 47% | 46% |
CO | Allard, Wayne | R | Sr | 46% | 44% |
TN | Frist, Bill | R | Sr | 46% | 47% |
AZ | Kyl, Jon | R | Jr | 45% | 43% |
FL | Martinez, Mel | R | Jr | 43% | 44% |
KY | Bunning, Jim | R | Jr | 42% | 47% |
OH | DeWine, Mike | R | Sr | 41% | 49% |
NJ | Lautenberg, Frank | D | Sr | 41% | 46% |
NJ | Menendez, Robert | D | Jr | 41% | 42% |
MN | Dayton, Mark | D | Sr | 40% | 50% |
MT | Burns, Conrad | R | Jr | 36% | 60% |
PA | Santorum, Rick | R | Jr | 36% | 55% |
U.S. Average | 52% | 38% |
Source: SurveyUSA
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 600 adult residents of each of the country’s 50 states, conducted from Jun. 9 to Jun. 11, 2006. Margins of error for each state range from 3.8 to 4.1 per cent.
