Poll: Republican voters very displeased with GOP-led Congress

New polling data by the Pew Research Center shows that Republican voters are most certainly not happy with the progress – or lack thereof – in the GOP-dominated House and Senate. Only 41 percent of Republicans currently approve of their party leaders’ performance in Congress. This is a sharp decline from April 2011, where the approval rating of the GOP leaders was 60 percent, and a far cry from April 1995, when “78% approved of GOP leadership’s policies and proposals.”

More than half (53 percent) of Republicans indicated that their party leaders are not keeping their campaign promises, compared to just 37 percent who say they are. By comparison, in April 1995, 80 percent said the GOP leaders were keeping their promises. During 2011, following the GOP’s House majority win, the keeping-your-promise metric was at 54 percent. Republicans, Democrats, and independents are about equally likely (36 to 38 percent) to feel that “Congress is accomplishing less than they expected.” The GOP leadership is not being sufficiently confrontational for the public’s liking. Three quarters of Republicans “want GOP leaders to challenge Obama more often.” Just 7 percent desire more cooperative behavior with Obama. As the polling results show, “Republican ratings of their own party’s leadership have moved in a significantly negative direction over the first few months of a GOP-controlled Congress”: Today, more Republicans say they disapprove (55 percent) than approve (41 percent) of the Republican congressional leadership’s job performance. In February, Republican evaluations were more positive (50 percent of Republicans approved of the GOP leadership’s job performance, 44 percent disapproved). And this shift in opinion is primarily seen among conservative Republicans: 54 percent approved of GOP congressional leaders’ job performance in February, today just 41 percent approve. It looks like the GOP establishment has little love for its supporters, and that lack of love is being returned by the base.