President Obama’s job approval rating, according to Gallup, is hovering near then-president George W. Bush’s numbers at this time in 2006, which turned out to be a disastrous election for the president’s party.
Gallup’s daily tracker shows Obama with a 42 percent job approval, compared with 52 percent of respondents who view him unfavorably. That’s slightly better than Bush’s ratings from September 7–10, 2006, but slightly worse than the September 15–17, 2006, survey results.
From Gallup:
That month, then–Senate majority whip Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) predicted to Bush that his low approval ratings would cost the party on Election Day.
“Mr. President,” Bush quoted McConnell in his memoir as saying, “your unpopularity is going to cost us control of the Congress.”
Republicans went on to lose six Senate seats, the same number they need to gain to win the majority this year.