Sen. Joe Manchin's (D., W.Va.) approval ratings dropped by 17 percent last quarter, more than any other sitting senator, according to a new poll.
The Morning Consult released a new poll on Thursday showing that 43 percent of respondents approve of Manchin versus 44 percent of respondents that disapprove. This is the first time Manchin's numbers have dipped underwater in more than a year, according to Charleston Gazette-Mail.
Manchin, a moderate Democrat who has often sought to position himself as somebody willing to work across the aisle, is facing an uphill reelection bid this year as President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have been targeting his seat for opposing tax reform and voting with the Democratic party on other issues. He will be facing one of the six candidates who are competing in the Republican primary, including Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship and Attorney General Patrick Morrisey:
According to vote tracking by FiveThirtyEight, a data-driven political website, Manchin has voted with President Donald Trump's agenda more than 60 percent of the time, more than any other Democrat except Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., who was sworn in in January.
The first quarter or 2018 is the first time Manchin has found himself in the negatives, though it hasn’t been close in the past.
According to earlier polling from Morning Consult, Manchin netted +16 points in the 4th quarter of 2017; +17 points in the 3rd quarter of 2017; +26 points in the 2nd quarter of 2017; +24 points in the 1st quarter of 2017; and +27 points in the 1st quarter of 2016.
Manchin's campaign spokesman Grant Herring responded to the new poll by saying he's not worried about the numbers and is optimistic due to Manchin's endorsements.
"Every poll shows Senator Manchin winning in November," he said. "While others are spending millions in the messy Republican primary, we haven’t run one ad. Our lead will grow once West Virginians start to focus on the race and we deliver our message to working families with the help of important endorsements that are already starting to roll out, like the UMWA, the Tourism Industry, the AFL-CIO, and the Huntington Chamber of Commerce."
The poll was conducted by surveying 275,358 registered U.S. voters between Jan. 1 and March 31.