It's Official: Bernie Sanders Is The Most Popular Senator In America
Democratic presidential candidate and populist champion Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has been collecting all sorts of accolades recently. He’s broken the record for the most number of individual donors at this point in his campaign, is leading the polling for TIME’s Person of the Year Award, and nailed big endorsements from both major unions and celebrities. Now he has one more trophy to place on his mantle – he’s the most popular Senator in America.
A survey of 75,000 voters in all 50 states by polling company Morning Consult shows that Bernie Sanders has the best approval rating – 83% – of all hundred Senators. It will come as no surprise that Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has the lowest – 38%. Sanders, who was formerly the Mayor of Burlington, VT, is beloved in his own state, which bears well for his ambitions on the national stage. Judging from the huge crowds he draws, his strong debate performances, and his rapid ascent in the polls means that Sanders will be a major political force in America in the election to come.
Here is the full list, ordered by approval rating.
State | Senator | Party | Approve | Disapprove | Sample | Margin |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vermont | Bernie Sanders | I | 83 | 13 | 230 | +/- 6.5 |
Maine | Susan Collins | R | 78 | 16 | 654 | +/- 3.8 |
Wyoming | John Barrasso | R | 73 | 15 | 198 | +/- 7 |
Vermont | Patrick Leahy | D | 71 | 22 | 230 | +/- 6.5 |
North Dakota | John Hoeven | R | 69 | 15 | 326 | +/- 5.4 |
Minnesota | Amy Klobuchar | D | 67 | 20 | 1,172 | +/- 2.9 |
Wyoming | Mike Enzi | R | 67 | 19 | 198 | +/- 7 |
West Virginia | Joe Manchin | D | 66 | 24 | 619 | +/- 3.9 |
Maine | Angus King | I | 65 | 25 | 654 | +/- 3.8 |
South Dakota | John Thune | R | 65 | 23 | 299 | +/- 5.7 |
Massachusetts | Elizabeth Warren | D | 64 | 25 | 1,513 | +/- 2.5 |
Minnesota | Al Franken | D | 63 | 28 | 1,172 | +/- 2.9 |
New York | Chuck Schumer | D | 61 | 24 | 4,544 | +/- 1.5 |
Delaware | Tom Carper | D | 61 | 22 | 568 | +/- 4.1 |
Maryland | Barbara Mikulski | D | 60 | 24 | 1,305 | +/- 2.7 |
Oregon | Ron Wyden | D | 60 | 21 | 1,213 | +/- 2.8 |
South Dakota | Mike Rounds | R | 59 | 27 | 299 | +/- 5.7 |
Washington | Patty Murray | D | 59 | 26 | 1,644 | +/- 2.4 |
West Virginia | Shelley Moore Capito | R | 59 | 24 | 619 | +/- 3.9 |
New Hampshire | Kelly Ayotte | R | 58 | 32 | 515 | +/- 4.3 |
Connecticut | Richard Blumenthal | D | 58 | 29 | 854 | +/- 3.4 |
Mississippi | Thad Cochran | R | 58 | 28 | 548 | +/- 4.2 |
North Dakota | Heidi Heitkamp | D | 58 | 27 | 326 | +/- 5.4 |
Hawaii | Mazie Hirono | D | 58 | 26 | 367 | +/- 5.1 |
Virginia | Mark Warner | D | 58 | 24 | 1,995 | +/- 2.2 |
Delaware | Chris Coons | D | 58 | 23 | 568 | +/- 4.1 |
Washington | Maria Cantwell | D | 58 | 23 | 1,644 | +/- 2.4 |
Rhode Island | Jack Reed | D | 58 | 21 | 411 | +/- 4.8 |
Hawaii | Brian Schatz | D | 57 | 25 | 367 | +/- 5.1 |
Oregon | Jeff Merkley | D | 57 | 24 | 1,213 | +/- 2.8 |
Iowa | Chuck Grassley | R | 56 | 27 | 901 | +/- 3.3 |
Montana | Steve Daines | R | 56 | 26 | 431 | +/- 4.7 |
Alabama | Jeff Sessions | R | 56 | 23 | 1,116 | +/- 2.9 |
New York | Kirsten Gillibrand | D | 56 | 21 | 4,544 | +/- 1.5 |
Mississippi | Roger Wicker | R | 56 | 20 | 548 | +/- 4.2 |
Alaska | Lisa Murkowski | R | 55 | 33 | 303 | +/- 5.6 |
New Hampshire | Jeanne Shaheen | D | 54 | 37 | 515 | +/- 4.3 |
Nebraska | Deb Fischer | R | 54 | 25 | 465 | +/- 4.5 |
Nebraska | Ben Sasse | R | 54 | 19 | 465 | +/- 4.5 |
Tennessee | Bob Corker | R | 53 | 26 | 1,442 | +/- 2.6 |
Virginia | Tim Kaine | D | 53 | 25 | 1,995 | +/- 2.2 |
Massachusetts | Ed Markey | D | 53 | 22 | 1,513 | +/- 2.5 |
California | Dianne Feinstein | D | 52 | 33 | 6,696 | +/- 1.2 |
Texas | Ted Cruz | R | 52 | 32 | 4,695 | +/- 1.4 |
Tennessee | Lamar Alexander | R | 52 | 31 | 1,442 | +/- 2.6 |
Connecticut | Chris Murphy | D | 52 | 27 | 854 | +/- 3.4 |
Alabama | Richard Shelby | R | 52 | 27 | 1,116 | +/- 2.9 |
Ohio | Sherrod Brown | D | 52 | 26 | 3,259 | +/- 1.7 |
Florida | Bill Nelson | D | 52 | 23 | 5,886 | +/- 1.3 |
South Carolina | Tim Scott | R | 52 | 18 | 1,174 | +/- 2.9 |
Montana | Jon Tester | D | 51 | 38 | 431 | +/- 4.7 |
Utah | Orrin Hatch | R | 51 | 38 | 590 | +/- 4 |
Arkansas | Tom Cotton | R | 51 | 35 | 690 | +/- 3.7 |
South Carolina | Lindsey Graham | R | 51 | 35 | 1,174 | +/- 2.9 |
Rhode Island | Sheldon Whitehouse | D | 51 | 33 | 411 | +/- 4.8 |
Alaska | Dan Sullivan | R | 51 | 32 | 303 | +/- 5.6 |
New Mexico | Tom Udall | D | 51 | 31 | 469 | +/- 4.5 |
Oklahoma | Jim Inhofe | R | 51 | 29 | 778 | +/- 3.5 |
Georgia | David Perdue | R | 51 | 26 | 2,392 | +/- 2 |
Georgia | Johnny Isakson | R | 51 | 24 | 2,392 | +/- 2 |
Maryland | Ben Cardin | D | 51 | 22 | 1,305 | +/- 2.7 |
Oklahoma | James Lankford | R | 51 | 20 | 778 | +/- 3.5 |
Arizona | John McCain | R | 50 | 41 | 1,688 | +/- 2.4 |
California | Barbara Boxer | D | 50 | 35 | 6,696 | +/- 1.2 |
Florida | Marco Rubio | R | 50 | 33 | 5,886 | +/- 1.3 |
Idaho | Mike Crapo | R | 50 | 28 | 407 | +/- 4.9 |
Nevada | Dean Heller | R | 50 | 26 | 740 | +/- 3.6 |
New Jersey | Cory Booker | D | 50 | 25 | 2,071 | +/- 2.2 |
Arkansas | John Boozman | R | 50 | 22 | 690 | +/- 3.7 |
Michigan | Debbie Stabenow | D | 49 | 33 | 2,774 | +/- 1.9 |
Pennsylvania | Bob Casey | D | 49 | 26 | 3,832 | +/- 1.3 |
Indiana | Dan Coats | R | 49 | 23 | 1,711 | +/- 2.4 |
Kentucky | Rand Paul | R | 48 | 37 | 1,435 | +/- 2.6 |
Missouri | Claire McCaskill | D | 48 | 36 | 1,684 | +/- 2.4 |
Nevada | Harry Reid | D | 47 | 38 | 740 | +/- 3.6 |
Louisiana | David Vitter | R | 47 | 36 | 931 | +/- 3.2 |
Colorado | Cory Gardner | R | 47 | 26 | 1,272 | +/- 2.7 |
Pennsylvania | Pat Toomey | R | 47 | 26 | 3,832 | +/- 1.6 |
New Mexico | Martin Heinrich | D | 46 | 32 | 469 | +/- 4.5 |
Utah | Mike Lee | R | 46 | 29 | 590 | +/- 4 |
Indiana | Joe Donnelly | D | 46 | 23 | 1,711 | +/- 2.4 |
Wisconsin | Tammy Baldwin | D | 45 | 35 | 1,385 | +/- 2.6 |
Missouri | Roy Blunt | R | 45 | 31 | 1,684 | +/- 2.4 |
Idaho | Jim Risch | R | 45 | 27 | 407 | +/- 4.9 |
Texas | John Cornyn | R | 45 | 23 | 4,695 | +/- 1.4 |
Illinois | Dick Durbin | D | 44 | 33 | 3,181 | +/- 1.7 |
Louisiana | Bill Cassidy | R | 44 | 32 | 931 | +/- 3.2 |
Iowa | Joni Ernst | R | 43 | 36 | 901 | +/- 3.3 |
North Carolina | Richard Burr | R | 43 | 29 | 2,512 | +/- 2 |
Colorado | Michael Bennet | D | 42 | 27 | 1,272 | +/- 2.7 |
Kansas | Pat Roberts | R | 41 | 41 | 684 | +/- 3.7 |
North Carolina | Thom Tillis | R | 41 | 35 | 2,512 | +/- 2 |
Illinois | Mark Kirk | R | 41 | 31 | 3,181 | +/- 1.7 |
Ohio | Rob Portman | R | 41 | 24 | 3,259 | +/- 1.7 |
Kansas | Jerry Moran | R | 40 | 31 | 684 | +/- 3.7 |
Arizona | Jeff Flake | R | 39 | 39 | 1,688 | +/- 2.4 |
Kentucky | Mitch McConnell | R | 38 | 52 | 1,435 | +/- 2.6 |
Wisconsin | Ron Johnson | R | 38 | 35 | 1,385 | +/- 2.6 |
New Jersey | Bob Menendez | D | 37 | 36 | 2,071 | +/- 2.2 |
Michigan | Gary Peters | D | 37 | 27 | 2,774 | +/- 1.9 |
Opinion columnist and former editor-in-chief of Occupy Democrats. He graduated from Bennington College with a Bachelor's degree in history and political science. He now focuses on advancing the cause of social justice and equality in America.