A poll found 32 percent of Arizonans approve of Flake’s job performance. Flake: 'Pond scum' popularity in poll

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) admitted late Monday his vote against expanding background checks for gun purchases has cost him political popularity in his home state.

“Nothing like waking up to a poll saying you’re the nation’s least popular senator,” Flake wrote on Facebook. “Given the public’s dim view of Congress in general, that probably puts me somewhere just below pond scum. Now, notwithstanding the polling firm’s leftist bent, I would assume that my poll numbers have indeed taken a southerly turn since my vote against the Manchin-Toomey background check proposal. It was a popular amendment, and I voted against it.”


Flake was referencing a survey from the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling. The poll found only 32 percent of Arizonans approve of Flake’s job performance, a staggeringly low number for a senator who only won election in November. A majority of 51 percent disapproved of his job performance. Fifty-two percent of voters said his vote against the Manchin-Toomey proposal, which would have expanded background checks to gun shows and online sales, made them less likely to vote for him in the future. Only 19 percent said the opposite.

( PHOTOS: Stars call for gun control)

Arizona has a gun-friendly history and reputation. Earlier this week, Gov. Jan Brewer (R) signed legislation requiring municipalities to sell guns they purchased during buybacks rather than melt them down. But it is also the home state of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, whose injuries from a mass shooting forced her to resign from Congress. Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, have emerged as major gun control advocates in recent months.

Kelly, in particular, has targeted Flake, who he considers a friend. Kelly personally lobbied Flake before the vote. After, he suggested Americans for Responsible Solutions, the group he and Giffords co-founded, would back a Flake challenger in 2018.

A Flake spokeswoman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.