According to a Gallup poll, President Joe Biden’s approval rating hit a record low of 38% in July 2022. But now, one month later, Biden’s approval rating has shot up to 44%.
Biden’s current approval rating
Over the last month, Gallup documented that Biden’s job approval rating was affected by political independents. Their approval went from 31% to 40% in the last month. Eighty-one percent of Democrats approve of Biden’s performance, while only 4% of Republicans approve.
When polled about specific issues, Biden has the highest approval on his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic (58%), with the environment approval rating (50%) as his second highest. What Biden polls worst for is the economy (31%) and abortion policy (34%).
Past presidential approval ratings
Gallup also provided data about the presidential approval ratings of past presidents in midterm election years, along with the U.S. House seat changes. In 2018, former President Donald Trump’s approval rating was at 41% and the Republican Party lost 40 seats in the House. In 2014, former President Barack Obama’s approval rating sat at 42% and the Democratic Party lost 13 House seats.
The last president who had a majority approval rating was George W. Bush in 2002, at 67%.
Even though this news might seem hopeful for Democrats in the midterms, CNN found 75% of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters want the Democratic Party to nominate someone other than Biden in 2024.
What does this mean for November?
The Hill reported, “There has been a widespread belief that Republicans are likely to win control of at least the House and potentially the Senate, but Biden’s improving poll numbers are likely to offer some new hope to Democrats.”
In their bottom line analysis, Gallup said that while the U.S. political environment looked unfavorable for Democrats in June, “if Biden can keep this momentum going, it could positively impact congressional Democrats’ chances in November.”