Can Obama Buck the Trend and Win Re-Election With an Approval Rating of Less Than 50%?

According to Gallup.com, President Barack Obama's approval rating during his 13th quarter in the White House averaged 45.9%. President Obama's approval rating briefly touched 50% in Gallup Daily Tracking during his 13th quarter in office before turning lower.

Let's look at President Obama's approval rating numbers, by quarter, during his time in the White House so far:

Q1 - 63.0%
Q2 - 62.0%
Q3 - 52.9%
Q4 - 50.8%
Q5 - 48.8%
Q6 - 47.3%
Q7 - 44.7%
Q8 - 46.0%
Q9 - 46.7%
Q10 - 46.8%
Q11 - 41.0%
Q12 - 43.3%
Q13 - 45.9%

After hitting a ghastly 41.0% during his 11th quarter in office, Obama has somewhat rebounded since, mainly thanks to an improving economy.

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Gallup.com notes that all presidents since Eisenhower who were re-elected had an average approval rating of over 50% during their 13th quarters in office. Jimmy Carter (47.7%) and George H.W. Bush (41.8%) both had approval ratings of less than 50% during their 13th quarters in the White House, and both men failed to win re-election.

Gallup notes that both Carter and George H.W. Bush saw their approval ratings drop during their 14th quarters in the White House. Obama's approval rating, on the other hand, seems to be improving, which means that he may be able to buck the historical trend.

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Source: Gallup.com - Obama 13th Quarter Approval Up to 45.9%

Filed under: General Knowledge