As a result of Mike Johnson’s betrayals, polls show that the historic approval of Republicans is declining while that of Democrats is rising.

As a result of Mike Johnson’s betrayals, polls show that the historic approval of Republicans is declining while that of Democrats is rising. The opinion of the embattled House Speaker Mike Johnson, who will be subjected to a historic vote in the House of Representatives the following week to remove his gavel and remove him from his position as Speaker, is falling among Republicans and supporters of former President Donald Trump, while it is rising among Democrats and supporters of Democratic President Joe Biden.  

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has called a privileged resolution on a motion to remove Johnson from the Speakership. Democrats plan to vote in favor of the motion to table Greene’s resolution to preserve Johnson’s position. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the leading Democrat in the chamber, has made it clear that he intends to ensure that Democrats protect Johnson. However, many may wonder why Democrats, who collectively voted to remove now-former Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his chair last October, would offer Johnson such a lifeline.

Recent surveys by YouGov and the Economist tell that Johnson is doing well among Democrats but falling short with Republicans. Just in the last two weeks, Johnson has witnessed double-digit changes in the Republican and Democratic parties’ support for him and against him. 

The tendency is seen in three successive Economist/YouGov surveys. Back in mid-April, Johnson’s overall favorability rating was already net negative, with 26% of respondents approving and 35% disapproving of his job performance, before he ceded operational control of the House chamber to Democrats with the foreign aid package that sends billions of US tax dollars to Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky. In this study, done between April 14 and April 16, 39% of respondents were unsure of their opinions of Johnson.  

Yet, when comparing Trump against Biden voters and Republicans versus Democrats in mid-April, the differences were striking when examining the demographic mix of responses to this question. Johnson’s popularity rating at the time was 50% among Trump supporters, his disapproval rating was 18%, and 32% of respondents were unsure. Johnson’s ratings among Republicans were 44% approval, 22% disapproval, and 34% undecided. Johnson’s acceptance rating was 12 percent among Biden supporters, his disapproval rating was 61 percent, and 27 percent of voters were unsure. Democrats were split 14 percent in favor of Johnson and 52 percent against him; 34 percent were unsure. 

The percentages entirely turned against Johnson just one week later, amid his violation of his earlier pledge not to approve Ukraine aid without real border security here in the United States. In the most recent Economist/YouGov survey, conducted from April 21 to April 23, the sample as a whole approved of Johnson at 31%, a rise of 6%, while the sample as an entire disapproved of him at 42%, an increase of 7%, and 27% did not know. What explains the huge variations in Johnson’s figures from week to week? The explanation lies in a sharp decline in Republican support for Trump and an equally dramatic increase in Democratic support for him.

This recent poll of Trump supporters showed a net 12-point swing in just one week, as Johnson’s favor fell from 50% to 47%, and his disapproval increased from 18% to 27%. However, Johnson’s approval rating among Republicans did not change from 22 percent disapproval to 44 percent approval, rising two points weekly; this suggests that establishment Republicans are rallying around Johnson as Trump supporters abandon him in large numbers. However, Johnson gained a net 8 points of support from Democrats; his favor rating remained at just 14%, but his disapproval fell to 53% from 61%. After just one week, that represents a significant advancement for the leader of the purportedly opposing party.Johnson then gained a net four points in that week among Biden supporters. While his disapproval stayed at 61 percent, his approval increased from 12 to 16 percent in that location.  

This pattern persisted throughout late last week and into this week for an additional week. The trend continued to accelerate even further in the next week’s Economist/YouGov survey, conducted from April 28 to April 30. His approval rating has now fallen back to 26%, erasing any gains he achieved by selling out just one week after he betrayed Ukraine aid. His disapproval rating has also fallen back to 37% among the broader population. Even if it is net neutrality compared to the days immediately following the adoption of the foreign aid package, it is a 2 percent decrease from two weeks prior. However, there is still a significant and accelerating generational shift in Johnson’s support and disapproval in this instance.

Just 41% of Trump supporters now approve of Johnson, while 31% disapprove of him. This represents a net 21% swing against Johnson in the last two weeks and another double-digit swing against Johnson from a week ago. It’s a severe decline in support that is quantifiable, tangible, and almost unprecedented for a short time. The Republican establishment’s euphoria following the passage of the foreign aid package has completely dissipated. This most recent survey shows a 12-percent swing against Johnson among Republicans in just one week, with his approval rating plummeting to 39 and his disapproval rising to 27 percent.

According to the most recent poll, Johnson is now supported by 18% of Democrats. In comparison, only 51% of Democrats disapprove of him, suggesting that his coalition is shifting away from Republicans and towards Democrats. That’s a net 6-percent swing in favor of Johnson among Democrats from week to week, and from two weeks prior, that swing was 14 percent in favor of Johnson.

Additionally, he showed improvement among Biden voters for a second week in a row, including an eight-percent movement in favor of Johnson among Biden voters over the previous two weeks and a four-percent net swing among the president’s supporters. Like last week, his approval rating among Biden supporters is 16 percent, while his disapproval has decreased by four points to 57 percent.  

These swiftly realigning political forces contrast with the opinions of Republicans and Trump supporters regarding Congresswoman Greene, who is spearheading the effort to remove Johnson. Democrats and Biden supporters flocked to Johnson’s defense, and Trump supporters and Republicans abandoned Johnson like a bad habit. Greene’s approval rating with Republicans held steady at 39% during this period. Still, her disapproval rating decreased from 27% to 20% among Republicans between the first and third surveys (Greene was not included in the second survey). This represents a net positive 7-percent swing in favor of Greene among Republicans over the previous two weeks.

Greene has also observed a favorable swing towards her among Trump supporters. Her popularity rating among Trump supporters started this round of polls at 47% and has stayed there, while her disapproval has decreased by two percentage points, from 25% to 23%.  

Raj Shah, a spokesman for Johnson, told Breitbart News to “show me the polls” in response to his boss’s declining poll numbers among Republicans and Trump supporters—and rising numbers among Democrats and Biden supporters. When Breitbart News showed him the exact polls mentioned above, Johnson remained silent and only linked Breitbart News to a press conference he gave on Tuesday in response to whether he loves his newfound Democratic support. Johnson only mentioned the Democrats in Congress who are supporting Trump, not the Republicans and Trump supporters who are flocking to him across the nation in large numbers during the press conference Shah was referring to. 

During the news conference, Johnson responded, “It’s the first I’ve heard of it,” in response to Jeffries’ declaration that Democrats would vote to support Johnson. He continued, saying: 

See, I have work to do. We have to act by our moral convictions. A functioning Congress is currently what the nation needs. Congress must function effectively, collaborate, and not obstruct its ability to resolve these issues. Thus, we observed the outcome of the previous motion to vacate. There was a three-week break in Congress. Nobody can finance that to occur. To continue and finish that work, we need personnel who take their responsibilities seriously. I must, then, always act by my moral principles and let things work out as they may. 

In response to a follow-up question on whether he feels comfortable staying Speaker solely because Democrats support him and let him stay in the position since he lacks the necessary support from Republicans, Johnson said, “The Speaker of the House serves the whole body.” 

Johnson continued, smiling, “I am a conservative Republican, a lifelong conservative Republican,” then turned to glance down and to his right. “My record and philosophy are in line with that. We’ll keep governing according to those values. You sincerely hope that the entire nation is behind you. However, as I previously stated, I must continue my work and maintain a downward attitude. For the country, this is a really serious moment. This is not a place for games. Everything we discussed today is the reason the globe is on fire. This isn’t the place for us to play politics and get involved in what appears to be royal intrigue. I’m all about performing the work that the framers intended Congress to accomplish, and I’ll keep working towards that goal daily. We’ll keep the government’s operations running smoothly.  

Source: BREITBART