According to a recent poll conducted by The Economist and YouGov, Republican Representative for California Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) popularity has risen as he concludes his first whole week in the position of Speaker of the House.
McCarthy had a popularity rating of 27% among all voters in the United States before the midterm elections in November. Now, the same percentage of Americans who felt this way about then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) in the run-up to the midterms also feel this way about McCarthy: 36%.
In addition, a sizable majority of Republican voters (59%) think McCarthy is doing a good job, while only 21% think he isn’t.
After a record-setting 15 rounds of voting, McCarthy was finally elected House Speaker. After only one week in office, 42% of Republicans are satisfied with his performance. And while just 16% of Republicans are pessimistic about McCarthy’s chances of being a successful Speaker, 44% are more hopeful.
In his first week as House Speaker, McCarthy spent no time getting to work.
As the “very first act of the new Congress,” the Republican-led House voted to eliminate funding for 87,000 IRS officers. McCarthy also formed a Select Committee on China to deal with the military, economic, and scientific threats presented by China.
McCarthy also convened a commission to examine the federal government’s arms buildup.
Between January 7 and 10, The Economist/YouGov polled 1,500 adults in the United States. The poll has a 3% margin of error.