Mike Pence wants to be president. But there’s one problem — compared to the competition, he polls terribly. According to the latest data from Civiqs, he’s the only potential GOP presidential candidate who is well-known but not well-liked.
Republican voters know Pence. But they don’t like him.
GOP voters with a clear
opinion of the politician
GOP voters who
view them unfavorably
GOP voters with a “clear opinion” of a
politician were able to rate them favorably
or unfavorably (and not “unsure” or
“don’t know”).
DAVID BYLER/THE WASHINGTON POST
Republican voters know Mike Pence. But they don’t like him.
GOP voters with a clear
opinion of the politician
GOP voters who view
them unfavorably
GOP voters with a “clear opinion” of a politician were
able to rate them favorably or unfavorably (and not
“unsure” or “don’t know”).
DAVID BYLER/THE WASHINGTON POST
Republican voters know Mike Pence. But they don’t like him.
GOP voters
with a clear
opinion of
the politician
GOP voters who view them unfavorably
GOP voters with a “clear opinion” of a politician were able to rate them favorably or
unfavorably (and not “unsure” or “don’t know”).
DAVID BYLER/THE WASHINGTON POST
Most GOP presidential aspirants don’t have this problem.
Republicans who are as famous as Pence — such as former president Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — are beloved by the base. And other candidates who post low favorable ratings, such as Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri or Tom Cotton of Arkansas, aren’t disliked. GOP voters simply don’t know them.
But Republican voters know Pence and they still don’t like him.
As I’ve argued before, GOP voters dislike Pence because he stood up to Trump on Jan. 6, 2021. Immediately after Pence certified Joe Biden’s (rightful) victory, Pence’s favorability rating among Republican voters dropped. He never fully recovered.
