Gallup poll: Most say Congress members don’t deserve new terms

Americans’ hostility toward members of Congress is at a record high, a new Gallup poll finds.

Seventy-six percent of those surveyed said most representatives do not deserve to be reelected, the highest number in the 19 years Gallup has asked the question and six points higher than August, just after the debt-ceiling debacle.

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That sentiment was higher among independents (82%) than Republicans (75%) and Democrats (68%).

Only 20% said most members should be reelected, itself a record low.

“If voters’ current sentiments toward Congress prevail through next November’s election, it is possible that control of the House would flip back to the Democrats,” Gallup editor in chief Frank Newport wrote.

It’s just the latest negative metric for federal legislators. A Gallup poll conducted in November put Congress’ job approval at 13%, tying an all-time low.

Still, 53% of respondents said they would reelect their own representative, while 39% said they would not. Gallup said those numbers are historically low, but not record lows.

President Obama is also in a precarious position, the poll shows, though not nearly as precarious as Congress. Forty-three percent said he deserves reelection, while 55% said he does not. Obama’s low-water mark was 37% in October 2010.

The survey of 903 registered voters was conducted from Nov. 28 to Dec. 1, and has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.