Friday, May 3, 2024

Speaker Mike Johnson's Popularity Is Soaring...Among Democrats

Sarah Arnold reporting for Townhall 

House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) popularity is soaring among the wrong party as he prepares to face a historic vote next week led by Republicans to remove his gavel and strip him of the Speakership. 

According to a RealClearPolitics poll average, Johnson has a 3.5 approval rating-- with 31.4 percent disapproving of his job as House Speaker and 27.6 percent approving. 

His approval rating continues to plummet among Republican voters as he gains favorability with Democrats— mostly due to his support of additional funding for Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia. 

At the same time, several Democrats suggest they would vote against any motion to oust the Speaker after he supported a multibillion-dollar Ukraine aid bill. Meanwhile, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has accused Johnson of abandoning his party by taking a deal with Democrats. 

As a result, Greene plans to move on a motion to vacate Johnson from the Speakership. 

In defense of his party's criticism, Johnson said he believes he is doing the right thing as the November presidential election nears. 

“We need people who are serious about the job here to continue to do that job and get it done. So I have to do what I believe is right every day and let the chips fall where they may,” he said. 

Polls conducted by Economist/YouGov also found that Johnson’s popularity among Democrats is increasing while taking a downward spiral with Republicans. 

Just 26 percent approved of his job performance, while 35 percent said they were unhappy with Johnson’s time as Speaker. His current negative rating is six points higher than it was in December. 

When looking at the demographic breakdown of answers to this question, the divide in mid-April was stark when it comes to Trump versus Biden voters and Republicans versus Democrats. Among Trump voters back then, Johnson’s approval was at 50 percent and his disapproval at 18 percent, while 32 percent did not know. Among Republicans, Johnson was at 44 percent approval, 22 percent disapproval, and 34 percent uncertain. Among Biden voters, Johnson’s approval was 12 percent and disapproval was 61 percent, while 27 percent did not know. Among Democrats, Johnson’s approval was 14 percent and disapproval was 52 percent, while 34 percent did not know. Fast forward just a week later, in the middle of Johnson’s betrayal of his previous promise not to pass Ukraine aid without actual border security here in the United States, and the numbers completely flipped on Johnson. Via Breitbart News. 

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said he would oppose the motion to vacate Johnson, claiming that Greene’s efforts undermine “the well-being of the American people and preventing us from delivering real and meaningful results on the issues that matter.”

A Politico report also revealed how dozens of Democrats would fight to stop Johnson from being ousted from his Speakership. 

With Johnson’s being a devout Christian and having anti-LGBTQ, pro-life views, the sudden shift in Democrat’s approval of him is profound. 

In November, the liberal media took swings at the Republican for his “far-right” views, labeling him as a Christian “fundamentalist” and saying his beliefs are “disgusting.”