New Poll: Bernie Sanders Is the Most Popular Politician in America

Aug 24 2017, 5:04pm

A new poll found that among all other notable American senators, representatives, and even the president, Bernie Sanders reigns supreme as the most popular politician in the nation—the only one a majority of voters on both sides of the aisle view favorably, the Hill reports.

The Harvard-Harris Poll—an online survey conducted from August 17 to 22—culled responses from 2,263 voters who lean both left and right, along with those who identify as nonpartisan. It asked about their feelings on the Democratic and Republican parties, the biggest political moments of the past few weeks, and what issues matter most to them. It also quizzed them on America's politicians, asking how favorably or unfavorably they viewed certain lawmakers.

Unsurprisingly, Sanders—who's long held the distinction of the country's most popular politician—earned the honor once again. The poll found 54 percent of voters view him favorably, while just 36 percent feel the opposite. No other politician netted support from a majority of US voters from both parties. The closest contender—Vice President Mike Pence—earned a favorability rate of 44 percent.

The Vermont senator's success could be based, in part, on how active he's remained since the primaries. He's kept up his unrelenting drive to reach voters where they live, meeting with folks at events in 15 states since the election, the New Yorker reports. He's continued to push for universal healthcare, bash the GOP over its inability to pass legislation, and pounce on Trump every time he says something controversial. He called Trump's Charlottesville comments "embarrassing," slammed his "fire and fury" threat to North Korea as "bombastic rhetoric," and told the president he was "on the wrong side of history" when Trump announced his intention to ban transgender personnel from the military.




https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/xww4ek/bernie-sanders-is-the-most-popular-politician-in-america-poll-says-vgtrn