More poll backlash for senators who opposed background checks

A new PPP survey shows that the approval ratings for senators who opposed the measure dropped since the vote

Published April 29, 2013 4:04PM (EDT)

A new survey from the Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling continues to reflect the trend of senators seeing their approval ratings affected by how they voted for gun background checks.

From PPP:

 52% of voters say they're less likely to support [Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz.] in a future election because of this vote, compared to only 19% who say they're more likely to. Additionally voters say by a 21 point margin, 45/24, that they trust senior colleague John McCain more than Flake when it comes to gun issues

....

39% of voters say they're less likely to vote for each of [Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska] and [Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska] in their next elections based on this vote, while only 22% and 26% say they're more likely to vote for Begich and Murkowski respectively because of this.

Ohio Sen. Rob Portman and Nevada Sen. Dean Heller, both Republicans, saw similar results. A poll from PPP released last week also had Sen. Kelly Ayotte seeing a drop in her approval rating since her vote against background checks.

Sen. Pat Toomey, on the other hand, has gotten a boost in the polls since he spearheaded the measure.


By Jillian Rayfield

Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com.

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Related Topics ------------------------------------------

Background Checks Jeff Flake Lisa Murkowski Mark Begich Ppp Senate