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FACT BRIEF

Did Ron Johnson win reelection with one of the lowest approval ratings among US Senators?

By Jacob Alabab-Moser
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YES

Republican Ron Johnson of Wisconsin had the third lowest approval rating (37%) among U.S. Senators, behind Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania (36%) and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky (33%), according to an April 2022 report from Morning Consult. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel similarly reported that between late 2021 and early 2022, Johnson had a favorability rating among voters of 35%, based on an aggregate of four polls by the Marquette Law School Poll. 

Poll director Charles Franklin said Johnson suffered a "striking decline" in popularity between 2020 and 2022 compared to his highest level of popularity, which was in 2019. That feeling was not universal, however: in an August 2022 Marquette poll, 76% of Republicans — but just 6% of Democrats — viewed Johnson favorably. 

By the time of that poll, Johnson's overall approval rating was 38%. A poll by Morning Consult from around the same period reported a similar approval rating. 

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Morning Consult Early 2022 Senate approval ratings: Ron Johnson
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Polling on Ron Johnson shows striking decline. Is it reversible?
Marquette Marquette Law School Poll: August 10–15, 2022
Marquette Marquette Law School poll August 2022 crosstabs
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Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.