In a rare bit of good news for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, it seems the more people who know about him, the more there are who like him.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 31% of voters now view the Nevada senator at least somewhat favorably, an eight-point jump from December and his highest favorability rating over the past year. That figures includes just five percent, though, with a very favorable opinion.

But 51% of voters nationwide have an unfavorable opinion of Reid, although that's down from 54% last month. Of that group, 36% share a very unfavorable opinion of him, up just one point from December but still the highest result found over the past year.

More voters know about Reid this month since only 18% didn't venture even a soft favorable or unfavorable opinion of the longtime Democratic senator. Just one month ago, 23% had no opinion of Reid, and last March, that figure stood at 30%.

Fifty-two percent (52%) of Democratic voters view Reid favorably, compared to 17% of Republicans and 22%of voters not affiliated with either party.

Reid’s national ratings apparently didn't suffer following recent news reports of controversial remarks he made about Barack Obama during the 2008 campaign, but support in Nevada for his reelection bid has fallen even further. New polling finds him earning just 36% of the vote against his two top Republican challengers.

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Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi remains the most well-known and least-liked congressional leader, but her numbers have improved this month as well.

Just 35% of voters nationwide share a favorable opinion of Pelosi, though that is the highest level measured since last May. Fifty-seven percent (57%) view Pelosi unfavorably, down from 63% in December.

Pelosi’s ratings have remained remarkably stable after August, when the percentage of voters who viewed her unfavorably reached a high of 64%. Since Congress returned in February, Pelosi’s favorable ratings have ranged from 30% to 36% while her unfavorable ratings ranged from 55% to 64%.

Opinions of the top Republicans in Congress remain steady. House Minority Leader John Boehner is viewed favorably by just 24%, down two points from December. Thirty-seven percent (37%) share an unfavorable opinion of Boehner, up two points from the last poll. But even more voters (39%) have no opinion of him.

As for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, 28% of voters view him favorably while 35% regard him unfavorably. His ratings are slightly worse than those found in December. Yet the plurality (37%) remains undecided about McConnell.

Fifty-four percent (54%) of Democratic voters believe Democrats in Congress have done a good job representing their party’s values over the past several years. By contrast, 75% of Republicans voters still believe Republicans in Congress have lost touch with GOP voters throughout the nation over the past several years.

Republican candidates have now posted a nine-point lead over Democrats on the Generic Congressional Ballot for the first two weeks of 2010.

Former Lieutenant Governor Jane Norton has opened up an even wider lead over incumbent Democrat Michael Bennet in this year’s U.S. Senate race in Colorado.

In Ohio, Rob Portman holds a very narrow advantage over two Democrats in his effort to enter the U.S. Senate. In New Hampshire’s Senate race, Republican Kelly Ayotte leads likely Democratic candidate Paul Hodes by nine.

In Massachusetts, the upcoming special U.S. Senate election is surprisingly close, with state Attorney General Martha Coakley attracting 49% of the vote while her Republican rival, state Senator Scott Brown, picks up 47%.

Rasmussen Reports has released other Senate polls for Arkansas, Connecticut, Illinois, Missouri, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Florida, Kentucky and California.

When it comes to the health care reform plan making its way through Congress, 40% of voters favor the plan while 55% are opposed.

Most voters (67%) believe the media has too much influence on the actions of government and try to help political candidates they want to win.

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