In a recent set of survey data from the polling organization Morning Consult, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) received the lowest level of approval among constituents at home of any Senator in the entire country. Only 29 percent of Kentuckians said they approved of the longtime Senator.
That’s lower than the recently appointed, temporary replacement for the late Dianne Feinstein in California — a Senator many Californians indicated they didn’t really know. And it’s lower than the again criminally charged New Jersey Democrat Bob Menendez — alongside 97 more Senators! A full 65 percent of Kentuckians indicated active disapproval of the job McConnell is doing in office.
Notably, Dems recently scored a statewide victory in GOP-leaning Kentucky, with incumbent Andy Beshear winning another term as governor against Trump-endorsed Republican Daniel Cameron, who has been serving as the state’s attorney general. Though McConnell is remaining in office for now, these recent poll results and election outcomes suggest there could be an opening for change whenever he eventually departs his role as Senator.
In the race for governor, key disputes focused on abortion and school vouchers, the latter referring to a program in which funds meant for public school educations are taken to support educational pathways outside public schools for individual students. It’s not been broadly implemented in Kentucky, but Cameron faced accusations he was in league with the idea, which has repeatedly faltered in so-called “red” states. On abortion, Beshear also criticized Cameron for at least tentatively sticking with the GOP state legislature-led framework blocking abortions even in cases of rape or incest.
On the same Election Day earlier this month, nearby Ohio approved an amendment to their state Constitution establishing some foundational legal protections for abortion, so the trend was continuing. Meanwhile, the Morning Consult numbers also showed particularly high levels of in-state approval for Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), who will be on the ballot next year in a state that went heavily for Trump in 2020.
