CNN Poll: Americans’ views of the Republican Party and its congressional leaders have worsened amid House leadership crisis

The public’s impressions of the Republican Party and its leaders in Congress have worsened amid a leadership crisis in the House of Representatives, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS, with Republican-aligned Americans divided over how the GOP should govern.

Even then – and with most Americans expressing anger at both parties’ handling of the country’s problems – the public continues to prefer the Republican Party’s leadership to that from the White House: 54% say they have more confidence in Republicans in Congress than in President Joe Biden to tackle the major issues facing the country, while 45% have more confidence in Biden’s leadership, unchanged since this summer.

Half of Americans approve of the removal of Kevin McCarthy as House speaker, 49% disapprove, according to the poll, which was conducted after last week’s vote to depose him from that role. Nearly half, 46%, have an unfavorable view of the now-former speaker, 21% have a favorable view of him and about a third express no opinion. Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who brought the motion to vacate that led to McCarthy’s ouster, is also deeply underwater, with 44% holding an unfavorable view of the Republican, and 14% a favorable one and 42% unsure.

Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are about evenly split on McCarthy’s removal (49% approve to 50% disapprove), and show little consensus on whether McCarthy’s removal was a good thing (30%) or a bad thing (34%) for their party.