If it's in the News, it's in our Polls. Public opinion polling since 2003.

Obama Administration

Most Recent Releases

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December 9, 2008

Illinois Governor Never Popular Among Voters

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested today on federal corruption charges including an attempt to sell the U.S. Senate seat recently vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.

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December 3, 2008

59% Say Terror Attack in U.S. Likely in Next Year

Nearly three-out-of-five U.S. voters (59%) say a terrorist attack in the United States like the one last week in India is at least somewhat likely in the next year. Twenty-three percent (23%) say it is Very Likely.

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December 2, 2008

55% Confident That Obama’s Team Will Beat Back Economic Woes

Fifty-five percent (55%) of Americans are at least somewhat confident that Barack Obama’s economic team can lead the country out of its current economic problems. Twenty-five percent (25%) are Very Confident.

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December 1, 2008

Just 12% Give Paulson Good or Excellent Marks for Job Performance

Only 12% of U.S. voters say Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has done a good or excellent job handling the country’s credit crisis and the bailout programs aimed at helping the economy.

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December 1, 2008

Voters Divided and Unsure Over Obama’s AG Choice

Voters are evenly divided over the man Barack Obama wants to be the next attorney general of the United States, but 54% don’t know enough about him to have an opinion, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

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November 28, 2008

68% Say Obama Politically Liberal

Sixty-eight percent (68%) of American voters see Barack Obama as politically liberal, including 41% who say he is very liberal.

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November 26, 2008

47% Say Biden’s Role Will Not Be As Big as Cheney’s

Nearly half of U.S. voters (47%) say Vice President-elect Joseph Biden will not play as important a role in the Obama Administration as Vice President Dick Cheney did during the Bush years.

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November 26, 2008

Defense Secretary Is Popular Holdover for Obama

Gates, who has been defense secretary for two years, is viewed favorably by 44% of U.S. voters, with 16% rating their view as Very Favorable. He is regarded unfavorably by just 21%, including seven percent (7%) who say their opinion of him is Very Unfavorable.

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November 25, 2008

Voters Have Low Opinion of Congressional Democrats Key to the Economy

The key Democrats on Capitol Hill who will be working to reverse the country’s financial downturn are better known than Barack Obama’s new economic team but not better thought of by voters.

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November 24, 2008

New Treasury Secretary An Unknown to 53% of Voters

Wall Street is reportedly reassured by President-elect Obama’s choice of Timothy Geithner to be secretary of the Treasury, but right now 53% of U.S. voters don’t know enough about him to have an opinion about his selection.

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November 24, 2008

49% Say U.S. Should Keep Guantanamo Prison Open

Nearly half of U.S. voters (49%) say the United States should not close the terrorist prison camp at Guantanamo Naval Base in Cuba, but the identical number (49%) also say Barack Obama is Very likely to close it in the first year of his presidency.

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November 21, 2008

53% Give Obama Good Marks on Economy – Before He Takes Office

Over half of U.S. voters (53%) give Barack Obama good or excellent marks on how he will handle the economy, up five points since right after Election Day, although he won’t formally begin to execute his plans for another two months.

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November 19, 2008

Voters Rate Hillary Second Only to Powell for Secretary of State

Hillary Clinton hasn’t made up her mind yet whether to take the job, but 28% of U.S. voters say she would make the best secretary of State for incoming President Barack Obama.

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November 17, 2008

42% Say Obama’s Picks for the Supreme Court Will Be Too Liberal

Depending on voters’ political party and ideology, Barack Obama’s appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court will either be too liberal or about right. Very few, however, expect his choices for the high court to be too conservative.

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November 17, 2008

Voters Say Terrorists, Iran Likely To Be Obama’s First International Test

While Russia was the first country to challenge President-elect Obama with a threat to deploy new missiles facing Europe, most U.S. voters expect terrorists or Iran to provide the new president’s first international test in office.

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November 14, 2008

70% Say It’s Very Important for Obama To Work With GOP

Given America’s current economic problems and its foreign policy entanglements, voters overwhelmingly want to see bipartisanship at play in Washington, D.C.

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November 14, 2008

75% of GOP Voters Fear Too Much Change

Changing the way government works may have been the winning message on Election Day, but three out of four Republicans (75%) are worried that Barack Obama will change things too much as president. Half of unaffiliated voters (49%) share that concern, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

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November 12, 2008

45% Say Obama Will Govern as Partisan Democrat

Forty-five percent of voters (45%) say Barack Obama will govern as a partisan Democrat, while 40% say he will govern on a bipartisan basis, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

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November 11, 2008

62% Think Michelle Obama Will Be An Activist First Lady

Sixty-two percent (62%) of U.S. voters say Michelle Obama is more likely to be an activist first lady like Hillary Clinton rather than a more traditional one like Laura Bush.

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November 10, 2008

Number of Black Voters Who View Society Fair and Decent Nearly Doubles After Election

Two days after Barack Obama became the first African-American to be voted into the White House, the percentage of black voters who view American society as fair and decent jumped 18 points to 42%.