The latest NBC News national poll reveals a relatively unfamiliar figure in the political landscape: House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who has held his position for less than a month. According to the poll, 43% of voters either don’t recognize Johnson’s name or have no idea who he is.
Among those who are familiar with Johnson, 14% hold a positive opinion of him, while 23% view him negatively. An additional 20% of voters remain neutral towards him. Despite this, Johnson’s favorability ratings surpass those of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy at a similar point before McCarthy’s removal from the role.
Comparatively, when McCarthy was in a similar position, 39% of voters held a negative view of him, while only 16% viewed him positively. Among registered Republican voters during that time, 31% had a favorable opinion of McCarthy. Presently, Johnson’s favorability among GOP voters stands at 31%, with just 6% expressing a negative view. This indicates that although Johnson shares a similar favorability rating with McCarthy among Republicans, he is less recognized compared to the former speaker.
Examining past NBC News polls, most GOP speakers have faced voter dissatisfaction, although not to the extent experienced by McCarthy and Johnson this year. For instance, in 2016, then-Speaker Paul Ryan garnered a positive view from 26% of the electorate, while 28% viewed him negatively.
Similarly, in 2011, then-Speaker John Boehner had a narrow gap in voter opinion, with 20% expressing a positive view and 21% holding a negative view of him.
