The gap between Republican and Democratic voters on President Obama’s job approval is the largest for any president in his first year, a new Gallup poll finds.
An average of 88 percent of Democrats approve of Obama’s performance, compared to 23 percent of Republicans ? a 65-percentage point gap.
Gallup says:
Overall, Obama averaged 57% job approval among all Americans from his inauguration to the end of his first full year on Jan. 19. He came into office seeking to unite the country, and his initial approval ratings ranked among the best for post-World War II presidents, including an average of 41% approval from Republicans in his first week in office. But he quickly lost most of his Republican support, with his approval rating among Republicans dropping below 30% in mid-February and below 20% in August. Throughout the year, his approval rating among Democrats exceeded 80%, and it showed little decline even as his overall approval rating fell from the mid-60s to roughly 50%.
If the current trend continues, “Obama would exceed Bush as the president with the most polarized approval ratings,” Gallup says.
