Just 35 percent of Americans believe race relations have improved since Barack Obama became president, according to a new Gallup poll.  Forty-one percent say race relations haven’t changed, and 23 percent say race relations have actually gotten worse under the nation’s first African-American president.  Put together, that’s 64 percent of Americans who say race relations are no better or have gotten worse during Obama’s presidency.

The new numbers are a stark contrast to the hope that accompanied Obama’s election.  The day after Obama won the presidency in November 2008, Gallup found that 70 percent of Americans predicted race relations would improve with Obama as president.