Morning Consult Poll: Bernie Sanders Is Most Popular Senator

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is the country’s most popular senator, according to a Morning Consult poll released Tuesday.

Sanders, an independent who ran for the Democratic nomination for president in 2016, got the highest marks from voters in his state.

The top 5 senators by approval rating are:

1. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.): 75 percent.
2. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.): 70 percent.
3. John Barrasso (R-Wy.): 69 percent.
4. Michael Enzi (R-Wy.): 68 percent.
5. Angus King (I-Me.): 67 percent.

Sanders' popularity rating has fallen since a Morning Consult poll in Sept. 2016 — at that time, his approval rating was at 87 percent.

On the other hand, Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, tops the list of least popular senators. The top 5 according to disapproval rating:

1. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.): 47 percent.
2. John McCain (R-Az.): 43 percent.
3. Lindsey Graham (R-SC): 40 percent.
4. Lisa Murkowski (R-Ak.): 40 percent.
5. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.): 39 percent.

McConnell is consistently atop the list of least popular senators, the Morning Consult report said. However, he appears to be gaining some popularity, as his disapproval rating in Sept. 2016 was 51 percent.

Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s popularity dropped the most of all senators since Sept. 2016: she is down 26 points, but still retains 53 percent approval.

85,000 voters across the U.S. evaluated their senators’ job performance to determine the ratings, from January 2017 to March 2017.

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