A recent survey has unveiled the current sentiments of American voters towards Barack Obama and Donald Trump.
As voters in Virginia and New Jersey prepare for important gubernatorial elections on Tuesday (November 4), tensions are rising with the approaching 2026 midterm elections in Congress.
Barack Obama, the former 44th President of the United States and a Democrat, made appearances at rallies in Newark and Norfolk on Saturday (November 1) to show his support for candidates Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger. Current polls indicate that both Democrats have a good chance of winning.
During his speeches, the 64-year-old Obama stepped away from his usual diplomatic demeanor, criticizing the current Trump administration.
He remarked that the Republicans’ policies are ‘worse than even I expected’ and accused Trump of attacking free speech, immigrants, and public health. Obama also criticized the deployment of the National Guard to cities to address ‘crime waves that don’t actually exist’.
A revealing poll by Marquette University demonstrates that Americans currently favor Obama over Trump. The survey, conducted from September 5 to September 24, included 1,005 adults nationwide.
Results indicated that 42 percent of U.S. citizens viewed Trump favorably, while 57 percent viewed him unfavorably, resulting in a net favorability of -15 points for the former president.
Conversely, Obama was viewed favorably by 57 percent, with only 40 percent viewing him negatively, giving him a net favorability score of 17 points.
Meena Bose, executive dean at Hofstra University’s Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs, told Newsweek that the poll highlights Obama’s enduring ‘personal appeal, inspirational rhetoric, and unexpected success in the 2008 presidential race’ which continues to resonate with the public.
She further explained: “The promise of hope and change was a defining feature of the Obama presidential campaign and still influences assessments of his presidency.”
The poll, however, does not necessarily signal a shift towards the former president or Democrats. It assessed the favorability of all presidents since Ronald Reagan, who remains the most favored with a net +28 rating. In contrast, Trump’s successor, Joe Biden, had the lowest, with a net favorability of -24 points.
Bose suggested Biden’s low rating might stem from his withdrawal from the campaign, which could negatively impact current public perceptions of his presidency.
George H.W. Bush, another former president, scored a +17 favorability rating, while both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush had a +8 rating.
This information comes as Obama continues to be a popular figure among voters since leaving office in 2017.
Earlier this year, a Gallup poll found Obama to be the most popular living president, with 59 percent favorability compared to 36 percent.
These developments come as Democrats seek to associate Republican candidates nationwide with Trump in the gubernatorial races and ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University, told the Mirror US: “The question is whether or not Republicans are doing enough this time to completely breach it or partially breach it.”
“I think even among the most nervous of Democrats, there’s no question that Republicans have to have a very big Election Day in order to be able to overcome what could be as much as 250 or 275,000 vote margin for Democrats at this point.”