Poll: Most oppose Reagan on the $50 bill

By Ed O'Keefe

The day after officials unveiled a redesign of the $100 bill, new polling suggests most Americans don't want to see changes made to the $50 note.

Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) last month proposed putting Ronald Reagan on the $50 bill instead of former president Ulysses S. Grant, arguing that the "last great president" of the 20th century deserved the honor.

But 79 percent of Americans oppose the idea, according to a Marist Poll released Thursday. Only 12 percent support McHenry's idea while 9 percent are unsure.

Perhaps most notably, 71 percent of Republicans oppose the idea, an interesting statistic considering the Gipper's GOP hero status. Among Democrats, 83 percent don't want Grant replaced and 79 percent of independents agree.

Republicans have tried and failed for years to memorialize Reagan (well, except for what was National Airport in Washington.) Some lawmakers once tried getting Reagan on the $20 bill, but Tennessee pols blocked the move in favor of native son Andrew Jackson.

McHenry's office had no comment on the poll. He's pushing the measure because Reagan usually outranks Grant on surveys of the best American presidents. But Grant backers called McHenry "an absolute idiot and a moron," reminding doubters that Grant's military efforts saved the Union.

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