Gallup: Hillary Clinton more popular than Obama, Biden

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton holds a higher favorability rating than either President Obama or Vice President Biden, according to a survey released Tuesday by Gallup.

Sixty-four percent of those surveyed had a favorable impression of the former first lady. By contrast, 55 percent said they had a favorable impression of President Obama, and 45 percent said the same for Vice President Biden — Clinton's potential foe in a 2016 Democratic primary. Former Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, who assumed Clinton's job at the State Department, was seen favorably by 44 percent of those surveyed.

The survey was conducted before last week's bombing at the Boston Marathon, and the subsequent capture of a suspect following a daylong manhunt. It is not clear how the terrorist attack and its aftermath could affect the president's popularity rating.

Nevertheless, Clinton's edge is indicative of the conventional wisdom in Washington — if the former New York senator chooses to run for the White House, she should have a relatively easy path to the Democratic nomination. The survey found that a staggering 91 percent of Democrats had a favorable impression of Clinton, versus just 76 percent for Biden. "At a time when many political analysts are floating former Secretary of State Clinton's name as a potential contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, her favorability rating outshines those of current Obama administration officials, including the president himself," said Gallup's Andrew Dugan in a statement. "Vice President Biden is also reportedly considering running in 2016, but as of now, his favorability rating is not nearly as high as that of his possible competitor, among rank-and-file Democrats and among the public in general."

That said, Clinton's popularity is likely due, in part, to the political advantages of retirement and having previously worked as the nation's top diplomat. Clinton's approval rating hovered around 50 percent in the years preceding her appointment to Obama's cabinet, as she served in the U.S. Senate and campaigned for the Democratic presidential nomination.

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Poll: Pelosi most well-known but least popular of top four Congressional leaders

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is the most well-known but least-favored of the four Congressional leaders, according to a new poll.

The Gallup poll released Wednesday found that only 11 percent of those surveyed said they had never heard of Pelosi, making her the best known of the four top Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate. But Pelosi also topped the list in unpopularity. Forty-eight percent of those surveyed said they have an unfavorable opinion of her while 31 percent have a favorable opinion. 

By comparison, 14 percent said they had not heard of Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). The poll found that 41 percent have an unfavorable opinion of Boehner while 31 percent have a favorable view. 

Twenty-two percent say they have never heard of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). Twenty-six percent said they have a favorable view of McConnell, with 34 percent holding an unfavorable view. 

The numbers are similar for McConnell's counterpart, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). The poll found that 21 percent said they had never heard of Reid and 27 percent had a favorable opinion of the top Senate Democrat while 38 percent said they had an unfavorable opinion. 

Broken down by party affiliation, Pelosi is the most popular among Democrats but least popular among Republicans. Sixty-two percent of Democrats said they have a favorable opinion of Pelosi while 15 percent said they had an unfavorable opinion. Just 6 percent of Republicans said they have a favorable opinion of the top House Democrat while 83 percent said they have an unfavorable opinion. 

With Reid, 47 percent of Democrats have a favorable opinion while 15 percent have an unfavorable opinion. Among Republicans, just 9 percent said they have a favorable opinion of Reid while 62 percent said they have an unfavorable opinion. 

The numbers are slightly better for Boehner among those surveyed from the opposing party. Twenty-one percent of Democrats said they have a favorable view of Boehner while 52 percent said they have an unfavorable opinion. Among Republicans, Boehner holds a 50-26 favorable split. 

Forty-six percent of Republicans said they have a favorable view of McConnell while 18 percent have an unfavorable opinion of him. Among Democrats, McConnell has a 13-44 unfavorable split. 

The poll was conducted among 1,012 adults from April 11 to 14 and has a 4-point margin of error.

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Congress less popular than colonoscopies, root canals, poll finds

A new poll released Tuesday finds the national favorability of Congress has again slipped into single digits, with American's elected officials now polling lower than painful medical procedures and a certain Canadian rock band.

The survey, from Democratic firm Public Policy Polling, showed Congress with a mere 9 percent favorability rating. By contrast, 85 percent of voters see legislators in a negative way.

Congress didn't fare much better when compared against a wide swath of generally disliked staples of modern life. Asked for their preference between Congress and lice, the microscopic insects prevail 67-19 percent. Ditto colonoscopies (58-31 percent), root canals (65-32 percent), and being stuck in traffic (56-34 percent).

Other widely disliked professions also rank well above being a member of Congress. Used car salesmen are favored 57-32 percent over members, while NFL replacement referees earn a 56-29 percent favorability and carnival workers win 39-31 percent. Canadian rock band Nickleback — the punchline of many a joke — also beat out Congress, earning a 39-32 percent advantage. In fact, the list of subjects polling better than Congress was nearly inexhaustible: Genghis Khan (41-37 percent), Donald Trump (44-42 percent) and cockroaches (45-43 percent) all beat out the House and Senate.

There were a rare few items that Congress managed to exceed in the poll, however. Tabloid stars like Lindsay Lohan (41-45 percent) and the Kardashians (36-49 percent) were both seen less favorably than Congress. K Street also got no love in the survey: 48 percent said they preferred Congress to the people that worked to influence them, while just three in 10 preferred lobbyists.

Former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, himself once a member of the Senate, fared worse than his colleagues (29-45 percent), as did former Cuban leader Fidel Castro (32-54 percent) and North Korea (26-61 percent). Congress was also favored over more than half of respondents over diseases like gonorrhea and ebola, and eked out polling wins over playground bullies, telemarketers and meth labs.

PPP surveyed 830 voters from Jan. 3 to Jan. 6 via automated telephone interviews. The margin of error was 3.4 percentage points.

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