Chief Justice Roberts is America’s Top Federal Leader, According to Poll

WASHINGTON — Americans routinely tell pollsters they don’t like much of what goes on in the nation’s capital, but evidently they do like one leader a lot – Chief Justice John Roberts.

According to a poll conducted by the Gallup organization Dec. 1-16, he’s got the highest job approval rating of 11 U.S. leaders rated, with 60% of respondents approving of how he is handling his role.

What’s more, Roberts is the only leader on the list compiled by Gallup who receives majority approval from Democrats (55%), Republicans (57%) and an even larger number of independents.

In addition, Roberts, who was nominated by President George W. Bush and became the 17th chief justice of the United States in September 2005, is one of only three leaders who are viewed positively by majorities of Americans at present.

The other two are Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell (53%) and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who garnered accolades from 52% of respondents.

Two administration officials polled higher than either President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris.

These were Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Attorney General Merrick Garland, both of whom received 49% in the approval column with 43% disapproving of their performance.

As for Biden, the Gallup poll finds him with a 43% approval rating, a few points below his vice president, who garnered the approval of 46% of respondents.

When it comes to House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, 71% of Republicans, 48% of independents and 23% of Democrats approve of his performance.

By comparison, 58% of respondents said they disapprove of the job House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is doing, while 40% view her positively.

Fifty-three percent say they disapprove of the job Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is doing but the leader with the worst ranking in the new Gallup poll is Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, with 63% disapproving and 34% approving of his job performance.

McConnell also has the distinction of being the only leader on the list whose performance is approved of by less than half of those in his own party (46%). 

At the same time, he receives the lowest ratings of the 11 from Democrats (21%) and independents (35%). Strikingly, majorities of all three groups disapprove of McConnell: 75% of Democrats, 64% of independents and 52% of Republicans.

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and at https://twitter.com/DanMcCue.