The public views House Speaker Paul Ryan more favorably than ever, a new Gallup poll found.
“Considering all that could have gone wrong for Ryan in recent months, the speaker’s image is stronger than at any point in Gallup’s trend,” Gallup pollster Justin McCarthy wrote Friday.
Ryan, R-Wis, is viewed positively by 48 percent of those surveyed, up from 44 percent in July and August. Ryan’s rating surpasses the ratings for Vice President-elect Pence (46 percent), President-elect Trump (42 percent) and incoming first lady Melania Trump (43 percent).
Pence, Gallup found, has climbed in the polls the most dramatically, and has jumped up 10 points since August.
The Gallup poll of about 1,000 adults was conducted Nov. 9-13, the days immediately following the GOP’s big election win. Ryan fended off a minor threat of a Democratic House takeover. He endorsed Trump but refused to campaign alongside him. Ryan is now fully behind Trump, who he said “turned politics on its head” by beating Hillary Clinton.
Ryan was elected to a 10th term this month and has served as speaker for a little more than a year. He is viewed much more favorably than his predecessor, former House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. Gallup found just 23 percent of adults viewed Boehner favorably in August 2015. Boehner’s favorability climbed to 31 percent after he announced his resignation the following month.
