Poll: Mitch McConnell Most Unpopular Senator, Kyrsten Sinema Second 

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., concludes a news conference after the senat
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Wendell Husebø

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is the nation’s most unpopular senator, followed by Democrat defector Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), a Wednesday Morning Consult poll found.

Only 29 percent of registered voters approved of McConnell, while 64 percent disapproved.

After the midterm elections, McConnell became the longest-serving party leader in Senate history.

Under McConnell’s GOP leadership, the national debt has risen by nearly $20 trillion, illegal immigration has continued, and real wages for American workers have not increased. Obamacare was enacted in 2010. Big banks were bailed out in 2008, and social media companies have silenced individuals without repercussions. In 2022, McConnell has also approved $100 billion in aid for Ukraine.

The second least-liked senator was Sinema, who shed her Democrat party affiliation in December. Only 37 percent approved of Sinema. Forty-eight percent disapproved.

Sinema is up for reelection in 2024. The upcoming election could have driven her to change her party affiliation to independent. Arizona is a purple, swing state.

After Sinema left the party, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) permitted her to flip her affiliation without disciplinary action. Sinema will still caucus with the Democrats and retain her Democrat-designated committee seats.

Far-left radical Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) is weighing a Democrat primary challenge to Sinema.

Sinema is not the only unpopular lawmaker campaigning for reelection in 2024. The poll found Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), who hails from a state that voted for former President Donald Trump by nearly 40 points, has a national approval rating of only 40 percent. Fifty-three percent disapproved.

Manchin has at least one Republican challenger, Rep. Alex Mooney (R-WV), who has declared for the GOP primary. Other potential challengers include Gov. Jim Justice (R) and Attorney General Patrick Morrisey (R).

Establishment Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) is also up for reelection in 2024. The poll revealed his national approval rating was only 46 percent. Forty-five percent disapproved.

Romney could have a potential Republican primary opponent. Utah’s Attorney General Sean Reyes is likely to launch a challenge to Romney. Reyes is widely seen as an America First candidate.

The poll was conducted from October 1 – December 31, 2022 among representative samples of registered voters in each state. The margin of error was five percentage points.

Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.

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