Mitch McConnell’s approval drops nationwide despite political win with Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination

Senate Leader Mitch McConnell has taken a hit among Americans with nearly half saying they feel worse about the senator’s job performance over the last four years, according to a new poll.

Only 16 per cent of respondents said they felt better about Mr McConnell, a Republican senator for Kentucky, and his job performance over the last four years. This compared to 44 per cent of respondents saying they feel worse about his performance, according to an Independent poll with JL Partners.

The poll surveyed 1,002 Americans across the country from 26 October to 28 October.

Respondents were asked about how several key political figures – including Mitt Romney, Nancy Pelosi, and Lindsey Graham – have fared in job performance over the last four years since the 2016 election.

Mr McConnell received the worst performance review in net terms compared to other political figures respondents were asked about for the poll.

This comes as the Senate leader received a huge political win by pushing through the nomination of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett for President Donald Trump.

Mr McConnell vowed to the public that the justice would make it through the nomination process before Election Day, and he kept that promise – much to the dismay of the Democrats. On Monday night, Mrs Barrett became the fifth woman to be sworn into the Supreme Court during an outdoor ceremony at the White House. She won the nomination with a 52-to-48 vote in the Senate.

But the Republican has also faced criticism as Congress has yet to agree on another coronavirus stimulus package that would go to struggling Americans across the country.

Mr McConnell, who has distanced himself from the president in recent weeks, has worked to fend off Democratic challenger Amy McGrath in his own Senate race.

Democrats have tried for years to unseat the veteran senator, but they’ve remained unsuccessful due to how Kentucky veers Republican and Mr McConnell holds onto strong support within the state.

Although his approval nationally might be on the decline, it looks as though the senator will earn another term come 3 November.

According to a recent Mason-Dixon poll, Mr McConnell leads the Democratic challenger 51 per cent to 42 per cent – a gap most experts don’t see diminishing in the next week.

While unseating Mr McConnell remains unlikely, the Democrats do stand a chance in flipping the Senate blue, thus removing the senator from his top position. The Republicans currently control the Senate with a 53-47 majority.

To flip the Senate, Democrats would need to boast a net-gain of four seats on Election Day, or three seats plus control of the White House. Republicans could keep their control if they only lost three seats and kept Mr Trump in the White House.

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