According to a new poll, Nancy Pelosi is both the most well-known and the least liked member of either party’s leadership team in the House:
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is the most well-known but least-favored of the four congressional leaders, according to a new poll.
The Gallup poll released Wednesday found that only 11 percent of those surveyed said they had never heard of Pelosi, making her the best known of the four top Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate. But Pelosi also topped the list in unpopularity. Forty-eight percent of those surveyed said they have an unfavorable opinion of her while 31 percent have a favorable opinion.
By comparison, 14 percent said they had not heard of Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). The poll found that 41 percent have an unfavorable opinion of Boehner while 31 percent have a favorable view.
Twenty-two percent say they have never heard of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). Twenty-six percent said they have a favorable view of McConnell, with 34 percent holding an unfavorable view.
The numbers are similar for McConnell’s counterpart, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). The poll found that 21 percent said they had never heard of Reid and 27 percent had a favorable opinion of the top Senate Democrat while 38 percent said they had an unfavorable opinion.
It’s somewhat surprising that the House leadership is so much better known than the Senate leadership, although perhaps that’s explained by the fact that the political battles of the past two years have mostly taken place in the House. As for why Pelosi is less popular than any of the other leaders, I suppose it’s because she’s been out front the longest, first as Speaker and now as House Minority Leader.
