Boehner's Poll Numbers Rise After Quitting

House Speaker John Boehner's announcement last month that he is resigning at the end of October gave him a spike in his approval rating with Democrats and independents, a new Gallup Poll shows.

According to the Gallup Poll, released Thursday:

• 31 percent have a favorable impression of Boehner - up from 23 percent in August.
• 45 percent have an unfavorable view of Boehner - down from 54 percent in August.

Among self-identified Republicans, Boehner's approval rating remained about the same:

• 37 percent in August to 36 percent this month.

Among Democrats, Boehner's approval rating surged:

• 19 percent in August to 30 percent this month.

And, Boehner's approval rating among independents also surged:

•   9 percent of political independents approved, compared with 17 percent in August.

Politico reports that the latest results mark Boehner's best performance in the survey since April 2014.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was expected to succeed Boehner as Speaker, however he suddenly dropped out of the race last week, leaving the House of Representatives "stunned" and in "chaos."

Currently, the selection of a House Speaker is at a standstill, with no alternative besides a resistant Rep. Paul Ryan.

Gallup conducted the poll from Oct. 7 to 11, surveying 1,015 adults nationwide via landlines and cellphones. The overall margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.

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