TOPEKA — A new poll released Thursday by the media and technology firm Morning Consult shows Republican Gov. Sam Brownback with only a 26 percent approval rating, making him the least popular governor in the United States.

The nationwide survey of more than 66,000 registered voters in all 50 states was conducted from January through early May.

Within Kansas, the survey included 650 voters. Of those, 65 percent said they disapprove of the job Brownback has done as governor. The Kansas portion of the survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percent.

It was the second time in six months that Brownback has found himself at the bottom of the list, and his ratings were unchanged from the firm’s earlier poll in November.

But the latest poll could have significant meaning heading into the 2016 elections, and it will surely provide ammunition for Democrats and moderate Republicans who are trying to rebuild a working majority coalition that could wrest control of the House and Senate where conservatives — including many strong allies of Brownback — hold solid control.

“This poll was not shocking to me, or probably anyone in Kansas right now because of the effects his policies have had on the state,” said Kansas Democratic Party executive director Kerry Gooch. “Definitely we plan on holding all of the Republican incumbents responsible for what the governor has done. This will play big time into the elections.”

But Republicans say they’ve heard that before, noting that Brownback had high disapproval ratings going into the 2014 elections. He still won re-election that year, albeit with slightly less than 50 percent of the vote, and Republicans picked up five seats in the Kansas House.

“I don’t think it’ll affect much at all,” said Clay Barker, executive director of the Kansas Republican Party. “I don’t think a lot of voters link the governor with legislative races.”

Brownback’s spokeswoman Eileen Hawley put it more bluntly:

“For nearly 20 years and five statewide elections, the media have been proven wrong on this issue,” she said. “Despite the continuing media drumbeat, Kansans continue to support Governor Brownback’s conservative policies, including work requirements for people on welfare, the right to life of the unborn, the right of law-abiding citizens to bear arms, lower taxes and less government.”

Barker acknowledged, though, that the low polling numbers might mean Brownback will be less visible on the campaign trail this year as GOP candidates, especially those in vulnerable districts, try to make the campaign about themselves, and not the governor.

“The governor realizes he’s unpopular,” he said. “He will do what the candidates want him to. If they want him to help with a fundraiser or contact big donors, he’ll do it. It’s not going to hurt his ego. He knew this was going to be tough.”