A new poll published by Vanderbilt University shows President Joe Biden with the lowest approval rating of any U.S. president among Tennesseans in the nearly 13-year history of the university’s poll.
Biden’s approval with Tennessee voters stands at 27 percent, according to the poll. Nationally, Biden’s approval rating is 38 percent according to FiveEthirtyEight’s polling tracker as of Thursday.
Tennessee voters also have an unfavorable view of the Tennessee General Assembly, as approval of the state legislature stands at 42 percent – also the lowest ever recorded by the university.
In addition, Governor Bill Lee’s 53 percent approval rating among Tennessee voters is at its lowest point during this term.
The poll also revealed how registered Tennessee voters would vote in the 2024 presidential and senate races.
📊 TENNESSEE 2024: @VanderbiltU
SEN:
Blackburn (R-inc): 53% (+17)
Johnson (D): 36%
—
PRES:
Trump: 45% (+19)
Biden: 26%
RFK Jr: 12%
Other: 13%
—
GOP PRES:
Trump: 56% (+36)
DeSantis: 20%
Haley: 12%
—
SSRS | 502 RVs (Sen) | 11/14-12/02 https://t.co/zNy8HNclEv pic.twitter.com/DQKanSmQ1X— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) December 14, 2023
In the 2024 presidential election, the university’s poll showed Donald Trump with a 19-point lead (45 percent-26 percent) over Biden in a head-to-head matchup in the Volunteer State.
The university notes that if convicted of a felony, Trump’s support would decrease by eight points in his head-to-head matchup against Biden; however, the incumbent president wouldn’t pick up the support.
“Voters would choose a third-party candidate or stay home,” the university said.
In the 2024 Republican presidential primary, Trump leads his closest challengers by huge margins, as the former president’s 56 percent is followed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ 20 percent and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley’s 12 percent.
As for the 2024 Senate race, U.S. incumbent Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) leads Tennessee State Representative Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) by 17 points (53 percent-36 percent), according to the poll.
Blackburn holds a 41 percent overall approval rating in the Volunteer State.
“The Vanderbilt Poll results indicate a significant cushion for Blackburn in her re-election bid,” the university noted.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Joe Biden” by President Joe Biden.
