50 most popular Republican politicians today

Written by:
June 9, 2020
Drew Angerer // Getty Images

50 most popular Republican politicians today

A look at popular Republicans in America shows that they come in all sizes and shapes.

Stacker compiled a list of the 50 most popular Republicans, based on data collected by YouGov from interviews between May 2019 and May 2020, with at least 7,000 people interviewed for each figure. The list is ranked by Republicans that have the highest positive opinion among voters, with ties being broken by how famous the politician is today.

Some Republicans find avid support from religious communities for their evangelical Christian views, opposing social issues like same-sex marriage and abortion rights. Some win backing for their policy stands, taking hawkish positions on immigration or foreign policy. They might build a following with their fervent belief in the rights of gun owners, or have been judged worthy by their response to crises such as the Sept. 11 attacks.

Still others build staying power among the public as longtime Washington forces of power, exceptionally skilled at making deals or ambitious fundraising. Some build support with bipartisanship and effective networking across party lines, while others cement their fortunes by toeing a strict party line. Many are war veterans, striking a chord with voters with their military service, including those that return home with lifelong scars.

Some come from families with long histories of high-profile public service, and others emerge from seeming obscurity and humble origins. Many maintain a strong fan base with their down-home style or unpretentious approach. Some come from poverty and troubled childhoods and know how to build empathy with voters.

Most have made a bid for the White House at least once, propelling them to national stature. More than a few Republicans found popularity with their opposition to President Barack Obama, especially his Affordable Care Act, which offered an option for health care coverage to uninsured Americans. These days, many are judged by their relationship with President Donald Trump.

#50. Steve King

- Positive opinion of this politician: 18%
--- Positive opinion among women: 41% (44th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 59% (60th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 34% (49th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 25% (23rd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 32% (55th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 23%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 15%
- People who have heard of this politician: 56%

State Sen. Randy Feenstra defeated incumbent Rep. Steve King in a June 2 Republican primary for Iowa’s 4th Congressional District, according to the Cook Political Report. King’s controversial comments about Nazism, white supremacy, and immigrants had moved Republican leaders to distance themselves and strip him of House committee memberships. Now his loyal supporters, who had sent King to Washington for nine terms in the House of Representatives, have signaled they have had enough of him.

[Pictured: Rep. Steve King (R-IA) speaks to a member of the audience ahead of a campaign rally inside of the Knapp Center arena at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa on Jan. 30, 2020.]

#49. John Ashcroft

- Positive opinion of this politician: 18%
--- Positive opinion among women: 39% (78th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 61% (26th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 32% (57th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 24% (39th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 35% (41st most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 20%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 26%
- People who have heard of this politician: 63%

John Ashcroft’s folksy appeal won him support among conservatives and rural voters in Missouri, where he served as a two-term governor before being elected U.S. Senator. But he famously lost reelection in 2000 to Gov. Mel Carnahan, who had been killed three weeks earlier in a plane crash. Ashcroft served as attorney general under President George W. Bush.

[Pictured: Former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft delivers remarks during the National Police Week 31st Annual Candlelight Vigil on the National Mall in Washington D.C. May 13, 2019.]

#48. Bill Bennett

- Positive opinion of this politician: 18%
--- Positive opinion among women: 40% (70th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 60% (34th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 30% (69th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 22% (80th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 36% (40th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 11%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 18%
- People who have heard of this politician: 47%

Bill Bennett was education secretary under President Ronald Reagan and the nation’s first so-called drug czar, heading the Office of National Drug Control Policy under President George H. W. Bush. Bennett has written widely on topics such as Christianity, values, and morality.

As a contributor to Fox News, he recently said that the coronavirus was hype and not a pandemic.

[Pictured: US President Donald Trump is seen on stage with commentator and former education secretary Bill Bennett during the Faith and Freedom Coalition's Road to Majority Policy Conference at a hotel in Washington D.C. on June 26, 2019.]

#47. Kay Bailey Hutchison

- Positive opinion of this politician: 18%
--- Positive opinion among women: 41% (48th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 59% (56th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 33% (56th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 25% (20th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 31% (61st most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 11%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 18%
- People who have heard of this politician: 47%

The Texas Republican has been the U.S. permanent representative to NATO since 2017. The first woman to serve in the U.S. Senate from Texas and the first Republican woman on the Senate Armed Services Committee, she is respected for her support of the military and her expertise in military affairs.

[Pictured: U.S. NATO Ambassador Kay Bailey Hutchison reacts as she attends a session at the Fortune Global Forum event in Paris on Nov. 18, 2019.]

#46. Mia Love

- Positive opinion of this politician: 19%
--- Positive opinion among women: 43% (30th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 57% (74th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 33% (52nd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 27% (10th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 32% (56th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 10%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 14%
- People who have heard of this politician: 42%

In 2014, Mia Love was the nation’s first black female Republican elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where she served two terms until her defeat in 2018. A Utah resident, she was born in Brooklyn to Haitian immigrants, married Mormon missionary Jason Love, and joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

[Pictured: Mia Love attends The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards 2019 at The Roosevelt Hotel in New York on May 10, 2019.]

#45. Jason Chaffetz

- Positive opinion of this politician: 19%
--- Positive opinion among women: 36% (97th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 64% (7th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 32% (60th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 22% (84th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 36% (38th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 15%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 13%
- People who have heard of this politician: 47%

While representing Utah in the U.S. House of Representatives, Jason Chaffetz promoted legislation to sell 3.3 million acres of public land in 10 Western states, saying it served “no purpose” to taxpayers. He backed off amid opposition from hunters, anglers, conservationists, and outdoor enthusiasts. He retired from the House in 2017. More recently he has been a critic of the closing of national parks as part of the effort to halt the spread of the coronavirus.

[Pictured: Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., and former Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, are seen in Statuary Hall before President Donald Trump's State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber on Jan. 30, 2018.]

#44. Orrin Hatch

- Positive opinion of this politician: 19%
--- Positive opinion among women: 40% (69th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 60% (35th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 28% (84th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 22% (82nd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 38% (20th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 24%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 22%
- People who have heard of this politician: 65%

When Orrin Hatch retired in 2018, he was the longest-serving Republican in the U.S. Senate. Historically, he gained a reputation for bipartisanship, built on his friendship with the late Sen. Ted Kennedy with whom he designed a health insurance plan. He ran for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination in 2000.

[Pictured: Former Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, arrives to introduce William P. Barr, nominee for attorney general, to the Senate Judiciary Committee during Barr's confirmation hearing in Hart Building on Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019.]

#43. Alan Keyes

- Positive opinion of this politician: 19%
--- Positive opinion among women: 40% (64th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 60% (40th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 31% (65th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 27% (8th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 33% (52nd most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 9%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 16%
- People who have heard of this politician: 45%

Alan Keyes, who ran for president in 1996, 2000, and 2008, was a harsh critic of President Barack Obama, whom he said was a “radical communist” who would destroy the country. He is an outspoken opponent of abortion and a strong supporter of Israel.

[Pictured: Alan Keyes, Chairman of the Conservative Majority PAC, speaks during a press conference by the Tea Party Express at the National Press Club in Washington DC.]

#42. J.C. Watts

- Positive opinion of this politician: 19%
--- Positive opinion among women: 40% (65th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 60% (39th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 32% (59th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 23% (61st most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 31% (60th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 8%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 16%
- People who have heard of this politician: 44%

J.C. Watts was a celebrated college football player who went on to play in the Canadian Football League from 1981–1986. He represented Oklahoma in the House of Representatives for four terms, beginning in 1995. Watts opposed public assistance and social welfare programs, which he argued promoted dependency and crushed initiative.

[Pictured: Former U.S. Congressman J.C. Watts speaking at the launch of U.S. Senator Rand Paul's Presidential campaign at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky.]

#41. Michael Steele

- Positive opinion of this politician: 19%
--- Positive opinion among women: 43% (29th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 57% (75th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 30% (74th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 25% (34th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 36% (36th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 13%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 18%
- People who have heard of this politician: 50%

Michael Steele was elected Lt. Governor of Maryland in 2003 and named chairman of the Republican National Committee in 2009. His book “Right Now: A 12-Step Program For Defeating The Obama Agenda” accused the Obama administration of big government expansion, nationalization plans, and out-of-control spending.

[Pictured: (L-R) Former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele speaks with Democratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez in the spin room ahead of the first Democratic presidential primary debate for the 2020 election at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami on June 26, 2019.]

#40. Michele Bachmann

- Positive opinion of this politician: 19%
--- Positive opinion among women: 42% (36th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 58% (68th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 31% (62nd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 26% (14th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 34% (48th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 22%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 18%
- People who have heard of this politician: 60%

In Congress, Michele Bachmann set up the conservative House Tea Party Caucus and gave the tea party’s response to Barack Obama’s 2011 State of the Union address. The same year, she made a presidential bid that ended when she placed sixth in the Iowa caucus. Bachmann worked for Jimmy Carter's presidential campaign in 1976, and has said she changed her political views after reading Gore Vidal’s historical novel “Burr.”

[Pictured: Carlos Watson, Michele Bachmann, and Vanessa Carlton attend the "Take On America" discussion panel presented by Ozy Media in Nashville, Tennessee, on Oct. 15, 2018.]

#39. Rick Santorum

- Positive opinion of this politician: 20%
--- Positive opinion among women: 39% (82nd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 61% (22nd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 29% (75th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 23% (64th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 38% (22nd most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 32%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 22%
- People who have heard of this politician: 74%

As a rising star in the Republican party, Rick Santorum and other members in the House so-called gang of seven took on members of Congress who were bouncing checks without penalty at the House bank. He was a major opponent of same-sex marriage and of abortion rights, and sponsored a 2003 measure to criminalize ending late-term pregnancies.

[Pictured: Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum attends the CBS News and Politico 2019 White House Correspondents' Dinner Pre-Party at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2019.]

#38. Chris Christie

- Positive opinion of this politician: 20%
--- Positive opinion among women: 43% (33rd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 57% (71st most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 28% (83rd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 26% (15th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 36% (37th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 41%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 21%
- People who have heard of this politician: 82%

The former New Jersey governor raised conservative hackles when he praised President Barack Obama and the federal government’s response in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Chris Christie was long considered to be a presidential contender, but his political fortunes fell in so-called Bridgegate, when his staff was accused of orchestrating traffic jams at the George Washington Bridge to punish a local mayor who had failed to support him. A Trump supporter, Christie says he has turned down several offers to join in the administration.

[Pictured: Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks onstage during the 2019 Concordia Annual Summit - Day 1 at Grand Hyatt New York on Sept. 23, 2019.]

#37. Scott Walker

- Positive opinion of this politician: 20%
--- Positive opinion among women: 39% (76th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 61% (29th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 30% (67th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 22% (83rd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 39% (18th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 24%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 15%
- People who have heard of this politician: 59%

During Scott Walker’s administration as governor of Wisconsin, a controversial budget measure was passed in 2011 that slashed benefits and the collective bargaining rights of public employees, including teachers and firefighters. Walker survived a recall vote the following year and made a brief presidential bid in 2015.

[Pictured: Gov. Scott Walker (WI-R) speaks to supporters at a last-minute get out the vote rally the night before the midterm elections at Weldall Mfg., Inc. on Nov. 5, 2018.]

#36. Dan Quayle

- Positive opinion of this politician: 20%
--- Positive opinion among women: 42% (35th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 58% (69th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 28% (79th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 27% (5th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 37% (33rd most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 31%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 27%
- People who have heard of this politician: 78%

Dan Quayle was little known nationally before the youthful U.S. senator from Indiana was selected in 1988 to be George H.W. Bush’s running mate. The vice president was a voice for conservatism and an advocate of business deregulation in the Bush administration, but struggled to be taken seriously. He famously criticized the popular “Murphy Brown” television show for lacking family values and misspelled "potato" as "potatoe" in an appearance at a school spelling bee.

[Pictured: Former U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle attends a Veterans Day event at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on Nov. 11, 2019.]

#35. Tim Scott

- Positive opinion of this politician: 21%
--- Positive opinion among women: 40% (66th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 60% (38th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 33% (53rd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 25% (30th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 34% (50th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 11%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 16%
- People who have heard of this politician: 48%

When Tim Scott served on South Carolina’s Charleston City Council in 1997, he posted the Ten Commandments outside of the building, prompting a lawsuit. Now he is the only black Republican in the U.S. Senate, where he has sided with the Trump administration on issues such as tax reform, efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and two Supreme Court justice nominations. But Scott took issue when President Donald Trump attacked four female minority House members, calling the president’s remarks “racially offensive,” and he helped sink two of Trump’s judicial appointees over racial issues.

[Pictured: Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) attends a Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on new coronavirus tests on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. on May 7, 2020.]

#34. Rick Scott

- Positive opinion of this politician: 21%
--- Positive opinion among women: 39% (79th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 61% (25th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 32% (58th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 21% (97th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 38% (25th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 24%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 17%
- People who have heard of this politician: 62%

Coming from a poor family, Rick Scott rose to become chief executive of Columbia/HCA, the nation’s largest private, for-profit hospital chain. As governor of Florida from 2011-2019, he opposed expansion of Medicaid and tighter environmental regulations and supported offshore oil drilling. But after the Parkland school shooting, he signed a gun control law that instituted a three-day waiting period for gun purchases, raised the minimum age for ownership to 21, and tightened mental health requirements. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2018.

[Pictured: Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol March 25, 2020.]

#33. Bobby Jindal

- Positive opinion of this politician: 21%
--- Positive opinion among women: 40% (62nd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 60% (42nd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 31% (63rd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 22% (90th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 35% (42nd most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 19%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 17%
- People who have heard of this politician: 58%

Bobby Jindal served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and two terms as governor of Louisiana. His high-profile Republican response to President Barack Obama’s first address to a joint session of Congress in 2009 was widely criticized as amateur and poorly delivered. The son of Indian immigrants, Jindal announced a presidential bid in 2015 that never gained much traction.

[Pictured: Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-La.) introduces Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) to a crowd of supporters at Courtyards of Andover Event Center in Andover, Minnesota.]

#32. Paul Ryan

- Positive opinion of this politician: 21%
--- Positive opinion among women: 47% (7th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 53% (97th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 35% (42nd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 24% (40th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 31% (64th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 44%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 19%
- People who have heard of this politician: 85%

Paul Ryan was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin in 1998 and re-elected nine times. In 2012, he was Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s running mate. Ryan was critical of Donald Trump ahead of the 2016 presidential election, but backed off after Trump’s victory. Ryan’s poll ratings slipped in 2017 after the House, where he was speaker, failed to overturn the Affordable Care Act that had become President Barack Obama’s legacy.

[Pictured: Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) delivers a farewell address in the Great Hall of the Library of Congress Jefferson Building on Capitol Hill Dec. 19, 2018.]

#31. Donald Rumsfeld

- Positive opinion of this politician: 21%
--- Positive opinion among women: 41% (49th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 59% (55th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 27% (87th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 24% (52nd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 39% (16th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 29%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 24%
- People who have heard of this politician: 74%

Donald Rumsfeld had a long career in politics, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives; as U.S. ambassador to NATO; and as secretary of defense twice, under President Gerald Ford and under President George W. Bush. He was a major supporter of the United States-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. In late 2008, Rumsfeld was strongly criticized in a U.S. Senate report for authorizing aggressive interrogation techniques at the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay and contributing to the abuse of detainees there as well as in Afghanistan and Iraq.

[Pictured: (From left) US Defense Secretary Mark Esper, former US president George W. Bush, and former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld take part in a wreath-laying ceremony to mark the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, on Sept. 11, 2019, at the Pentagon in Washington D.C.]

#30. John Kasich

- Positive opinion of this politician: 22%
--- Positive opinion among women: 43% (20th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 57% (84th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 37% (35th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 24% (43rd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 32% (58th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 22%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 23%
- People who have heard of this politician: 66%

John Kasich was one of the 16 Republicans who sought the presidential nomination that Donald Trump landed in 2016. As governor of Ohio, he signed more than 20 laws limiting abortion access, although he vetoed a bill that would ban abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, saying it would not hold up in court. He has since distanced himself from the Republican Party and supported the effort to impeach Trump. His new book, published in 2019, “It’s Up to Us: Ten Little Ways We Can Bring About Big Change,” advocates for community activism rather than waiting for Washington to bring about change. He has been active in campaigns to fight climate change and drives an electric car.

[Pictured: Former Ohio Governor John Kasich visits "Your World With Neil Cavuto" at Fox News Channel Studios on Oct. 15, 2019.]

#29. Kevin McCarthy

- Positive opinion of this politician: 22%
--- Positive opinion among women: 37% (93rd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 63% (11th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 30% (73rd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 25% (33rd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 37% (35th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 25%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 18%
- People who have heard of this politician: 65%

The top Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives as minority leader, Kevin McCarthy has a reputation for effective party networking and skilled fundraising. A key Trump supporter, the California Congressman proposed a bill to fund the border wall with Mexico for $23.4 billion and led House opposition to the effort to impeach the president.

[Pictured: U.S. House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) speaks during a weekly news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. on May 28, 2020.]

#28. Jeb Bush

- Positive opinion of this politician: 23%
--- Positive opinion among women: 50% (2nd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 50% (102nd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 31% (66th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 26% (12th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 31% (63rd most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 38%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 28%
- People who have heard of this politician: 89%

Longtime governor of Florida Jeb Bush is the younger brother of President George W. Bush. In Florida he advocated for education reform, in support of charter schools; a voucher program, later knocked down in court; the use of state funds to pay tuition at church-run schools; and a corporate income tax credit for scholarships to private schools. During his failed 2016 bid for the Republican presidential nomination, he started out as the frontrunner but was lambasted for his wooden delivery and lack of a clear campaign message.

[Pictured: Former president Bill Clinton and former Florida governor Jeb Bush share a laugh at the University of New England on Sept. 27, 2019.]

#27. Joe Arpaio

- Positive opinion of this politician: 23%
--- Positive opinion among women: 36% (98th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 64% (6th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 24% (100th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 24% (48th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 43% (3rd most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 28%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 11%
- People who have heard of this politician: 63%

As sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, Joe Arpaio built a national reputation on his treatment of immigrants in detention, housing them outdoors in temperatures so high that inmates complained their shoes melted. He bragged that he made inmates wear pink underwear and listen to hours of patriotic music and opera. Arpaio was convicted in 2017 of contempt of court for ignoring an order to stop arresting immigrants solely on suspicion of being illegal, and President Donald Trump pardoned him a month later. He lost his bid for a seventh term as sheriff in 2016, but is running again in the 2020 race, with significant out-of-state financial support.

[Pictured: Former Sheriff Joe Arpaio poses for photos during the Mother of All Rallies at the National Mall in Washington D.C. on Sept. 8, 2018.]

#26. Steve Scalise

- Positive opinion of this politician: 23%
--- Positive opinion among women: 41% (46th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 59% (58th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 26% (90th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 21% (91st most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 42% (9th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 20%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 18%
- People who have heard of this politician: 61%

Representing New Orleans’ suburbs in the U.S. House of Representatives, Steve Scalise has a reputation for conviviality among colleagues. He is a big supporter of the National Rifle Association, and served on President Donald Trump’s Second Amendment Coalition, set up to advise Trump on gun-related issues. Scalise was shot in the hip during a congressional baseball practice in Virginia in 2017.

[Pictured: Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) speaks during a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol, May 27, 2020.]

#25. Allen West

- Positive opinion of this politician: 23%
--- Positive opinion among women: 37% (88th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 63% (16th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 27% (86th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 24% (41st most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 38% (24th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 10%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 13%
- People who have heard of this politician: 47%

Allen West is a 20-year U.S. Army veteran, serving in the Gulf War in 1991 and in Iraq in 2003, and was awarded the Bronze Star and other medals. He represented southeastern Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he joined the Tea Party Caucus and earned a reputation for giving lively speeches on conservative issues. After redistricting, he ran for re-election in a neighboring district, where he lost to a Democratic businessman. He is now running to head the Republican Party of Texas.

[Pictured: Former Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) takes a selfie with U.S. Virgin Islands alternate delegate Valerie Stiles.]

#24. Herman Cain

- Positive opinion of this politician: 24%
--- Positive opinion among women: 36% (94th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 64% (10th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 26% (91st most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 21% (94th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 43% (4th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 23%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 14%
- People who have heard of this politician: 61%

The former head of Godfather's Pizza and the National Restaurant Association, Herman Cain sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. He proposed a “9-9-9” plan to replace the existing tax code with a 9% income tax, 9% business tax,and 9% nationwide retail sales tax. Accusations of sexual misconduct ended his presidential bid. Cain is involved with the America Fighting Back political action committee, a group of Trump supporters who oppose propaganda by the mainstream media, and he is co-chairman of Black Voices for Trump.

[Pictured: Former presidential candidate Herman Cain attends the premiere of the film "No Safe Spaces" in Hollywood, California, on Nov. 11, 2019.]

#23. Mitt Romney

- Positive opinion of this politician: 24%
--- Positive opinion among women: 43% (22nd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 57% (82nd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 36% (39th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 25% (18th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 29% (75th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 41%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 27%
- People who have heard of this politician: 92%

Mitt Romney founded the investment firm Bain Capital before becoming governor of Massachusetts in 2003. In 2008 he lost his bid for the Republican presidential nomination to John McCain. In 2012 he won the nomination, but was defeated in the general election by incumbent President Barack Obama. He is now a U.S. senator from Utah, and he and his family belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A critic of President Donald Trump, Romney was the only Republican senator to vote to convict the president for abuse of power during the impeachment trial.

[Pictured: Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) marches with a crowd singing Little Light of Mine in Washington D.C. on June 7, 2020.]

#22. Rick Perry

- Positive opinion of this politician: 24%
--- Positive opinion among women: 41% (57th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 59% (47th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 29% (77th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 24% (47th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 37% (31st most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 29%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 18%
- People who have heard of this politician: 72%

The former Texas governor ran for president in 2012 and again in 2015. In the Trump administration, Rick Perry served as secretary of energy, heading a department that he had called for eliminating during his 2012 presidential campaign. He resigned from the cabinet in 2019 and now works in the oil business. He competed on the reality television show “Dancing With the Stars” in 2016.

[Pictured: U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry speaks during a National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI) conference in Washington D.C. on Nov. 5, 2019.]

#21. Jared Kushner

- Positive opinion of this politician: 24%
--- Positive opinion among women: 43% (26th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 57% (78th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 28% (85th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 21% (93rd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 39% (19th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 36%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 17%
- People who have heard of this politician: 77%

Jared Kushner has been appointed by his father-in-law President Donald Trump to resolve the conflict in the Middle East; advise on U.S. relations with China, Mexico, and Canada; and organize procurement of medical equipment during the coronavirus pandemic. Before he was vaulted into his senior advisor role in the White House, Kushner owned a New York City weekly newspaper and ran his family’s real estate development company when his father was imprisoned for tax evasion, illegal campaign contributions and witness tampering. He married Ivanka Trump in 2009, and they have three children.

[Pictured: Senior Advisor Jared Kushner attends a meeting on Opportunity Zones in the Cabinet Room of the White House May 18, 2020.]

#20. Barry Goldwater

- Positive opinion of this politician: 25%
--- Positive opinion among women: 41% (55th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 59% (49th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 30% (72nd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 21% (98th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 38% (21st most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 17%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 27%
- People who have heard of this politician: 69%

Barry Goldwater’s entrance into politics began in Phoenix when he was elected to serve as city councilman in 1949. By 1952, he won his first election to the U.S. Senate, where he served five terms from 1953–1964 and 1969–1987. It was during his run for president in 1964 that the Republican party chose the highly conservative Goldwater as the nominee over the liberal-leaning Nelson Rockefeller. Goldwater lost the presidential election to President Lyndon Johnson, but as a candidate who opposed Communism, was fiscally conservative, defended personal freedoms, and opposed Democratic civil rights legislation, he helped the conservatives take control of the South, which subsequently aided in getting eight Republican presidents elected in the 13 elections held since that time. The author of numerous books on political conservatism, Goldwater died in 1998 at his suburban Phoenix home.

[Pictured: Republican Presidential Candidate Barry Goldwater, U.S. Senator from Arizona, on the night of the New Hampshire primary, March 10, 1964.]

#19. Mitch McConnell

- Positive opinion of this politician: 25%
--- Positive opinion among women: 43% (21st most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 57% (83rd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 29% (78th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 23% (60th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 38% (26th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 41%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 18%
- People who have heard of this politician: 84%

A U. S. senator from Kentucky and Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell was a vocal opponent of President Barack Obama. He refused to allow a hearing for Obama’s Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland on grounds that there was less than a year left in the president’s term in office. As an ally of President Donald Trump, he played a key role in the confirmation of Trump’s controversial nominee Brett Kavanaugh to the highest court, and led Republican opposition in the Senate to the impeachment effort.

[Pictured: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, speaks to the media following the weekly Republican Senate policy luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., May 19, 2020.]

#18. Lindsey Graham

- Positive opinion of this politician: 25%
--- Positive opinion among women: 44% (17th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 56% (87th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 29% (76th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 22% (86th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 38% (23rd most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 36%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 17%
- People who have heard of this politician: 78%

For a long time, Lindsey Graham was known as a champion of bipartisanship, who was willing to negotiate, strike deals, and work with Democrats on issues like climate change and immigration. During the Trump administration, he has backed off his moderate stance and has become a combative supporter of the president. Graham first entered the national public eye with his scathing criticism of President Bill Clinton during his impeachment proceedings in 1999.

[Pictured: Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is seen during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to discuss the FBI's "Crossfire Hurricane" investigation in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington D.C. on June 3, 2020.]

#17. Dick Cheney

- Positive opinion of this politician: 26%
--- Positive opinion among women: 42% (34th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 58% (70th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 28% (82nd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 24% (44th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 37% (30th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 42%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 23%
- People who have heard of this politician: 91%

A longtime Washington insider, Dick Cheney was secretary of defense under President George H. W. Bush, overseeing Operation Desert Storm in the Middle East. As vice president to George W. Bush from 2001–2009, in the wake of 9/11, Cheney was an advocate for the U.S. war on terror and the 2003 invasion of Iraq; set up the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, where he supported harsh interrogation techniques; and designed anti-terrorist citizen surveillance. In the private sector, he headed up Halliburton, a giant petroleum engineering company that specializes in fracking, the extraction method that uses high-pressure water and chemicals to tap into underground natural gas and oil reserves.

[Pictured: Former Vice President Dick Cheney greets former President Barack Obama during the state funeral for former President George H.W. Bush at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. on Dec. 5, 2018.]

#16. Trey Gowdy

- Positive opinion of this politician: 26%
--- Positive opinion among women: 41% (43rd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 59% (61st most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 24% (99th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 20% (102nd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 43% (5th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 19%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 13%
- People who have heard of this politician: 58%

Trey Gowdy spent four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives representing South Carolina, starting in 2010. He led the House Select Committee’s investigation into the 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, which focused on the role of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He later served on the House Intelligence Committee, investigating Russian involvement in the 2016 election, and was chairman of the House Oversight Committee that investigated Clinton's emails. After he retired, he went into private law practice.

[Pictured: House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) leaves a closed-door hearing on Capitol Hill Dec. 7, 2018.]

#15. Rand Paul

- Positive opinion of this politician: 26%
--- Positive opinion among women: 40% (71st most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 60% (33rd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 28% (80th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 23% (63rd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 37% (29th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 33%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 21%
- People who have heard of this politician: 81%

In 2013, the Kentucky senator delivered the tea party’s response to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address. A libertarian, he has called for dramatic spending cuts in foreign aid and the federal domestic budget, and for downsizing the government, including shutting down the department of education and privatizing the Transportation Security Administration. He has become a strong supporter of President Donald Trump.

[Pictured: U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) listens to testimony during the Senate Committee for Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearing on COVID-19 on May 12, 2020.]

#14. Elizabeth Dole

- Positive opinion of this politician: 27%
--- Positive opinion among women: 48% (4th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 52% (100th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 25% (98th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 24% (38th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 42% (7th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 17%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 27%
- People who have heard of this politician: 71%

Elizabeth Dole was transportation secretary under President Ronald Reagan and labor secretary under President George H.W. Bush. She left the cabinet to head up the American Red Cross, and in 1999 was a contender for the Republican presidential nomination. She was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002 and also was considered an effective campaigner in her husband Sen. Bob Dole’s presidential bids.

[Pictured: Sen. Elizabeth Dole is seen during "The Today Show" broadcast at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 23, 2019.]

#13. Marco Rubio

- Positive opinion of this politician: 27%
--- Positive opinion among women: 45% (11th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 55% (93rd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 27% (89th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 26% (16th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 37% (27th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 35%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 22%
- People who have heard of this politician: 84%

The son of Cuban immigrants, the Florida senator in 2013 gave the first bilingual Republican response to the State of the Union. An opponent of the Affordable Care Act and of abortion rights, he made an unsuccessful presidential bid in 2016 but lost the primary in his home state of Florida. He has been a supporter of President Donald Trump, although he did not back the president’s plans for a border wall, and he supported sanctions against Russia that Trump opposed. As chairman of the Senate’s Small Business Committee, he has been active in designing coronavirus economic relief measures.

[Pictured: Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) leaves the Senate floor during a recess in the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump on Feb. 3, 2020.]

#12. Newt Gingrich

- Positive opinion of this politician: 29%
--- Positive opinion among women: 40% (58th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 60% (46th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 22% (102nd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 22% (79th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 46% (1st most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 36%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 19%
- People who have heard of this politician: 84%

The Georgia Congressman and more than 300 other Republicans signed a “Contract With America” in 1994, filled with conservative calls for tax cuts, smaller government, fewer regulations, and congressional term limits. That fall, Republicans took control of the House for the first time since 1955, and Gingrich took the top job as majority speaker. An impasse with President Bill Clinton over congressional demands for deep budget cuts led to a shutdown of the government, first for five days and then for 21 days. Gingrich made an ill-fated bid for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. The former college history professor has written more than 20 books.

[Pictured: Newt Gingrich and U.S. ambassador Callista Gingrich pose in front of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City on Oct. 13, 2019.]

#11. Nikki Haley

- Positive opinion of this politician: 29%
--- Positive opinion among women: 39% (81st most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 61% (23rd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 26% (92nd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 22% (81st most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 42% (8th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 22%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 15%
- People who have heard of this politician: 67%

Nikki Haley was U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under President Donald Trump for two years. Before that, she was governor of South Carolina, where she was a tea party conservative. Haley won national kudos in 2015 when, in the wake of a racially-inspired mass church shooting, she called for the removal of the Confederate flag from the state capitol. At the U.N., where she served with no previous experience in foreign policy, she defended Trump's controversial decision to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem; his withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal; and his decision to pull out of the international Paris Agreement on climate change. Haley has been suggested as a potential presidential candidate in 2024.

[Pictured: Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley visits "Fox & Friends" at Fox News Channel Studios in New York City on Nov. 12, 2019.]

#10. Mike Huckabee

- Positive opinion of this politician: 30%
--- Positive opinion among women: 44% (15th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 56% (89th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 25% (95th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 22% (89th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 42% (6th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 34%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 19%
- People who have heard of this politician: 82%

Known for his down-home style, the Baptist minister and former governor of Arkansas ran for president in 2008 and won the Iowa caucus, but failed to sustain his early success. He ran again in 2015. He resigned within a day of being named a director to the Country Music Association Foundation in 2018 amid backlash over his opposition to gay marriage, which he had compared to incest and polygamy. His daughter Sarah Huckabee Sanders was White House press secretary under President Donald Trump from 2017-2019.

[Pictured: FOX News Contributor Gov. Mike Huckabee visits the Fox Studios in New York on Sept. 17, 2019.]

#9. Bob Dole

- Positive opinion of this politician: 30%
--- Positive opinion among women: 43% (25th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 57% (79th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 23% (101st most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 25% (19th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 40% (14th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 21%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 31%
- People who have heard of this politician: 82%

A former Kansas senator, Bob Dole was the Republican candidate for president in 1996, pledging a 15% across-the-board tax cut that failed to gain traction with voters. He was defeated by President Bill Clinton. As a young man in the U.S. Army, Dole was severely wounded in World War II and was left with a paralyzed right arm. He was a major supporter of the Americans With Disabilities Act, which passed in 1990 with sweeping protections against discrimination. After he retired, Dole appeared in a commercial for Viagra.

[Pictured: Former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole and his wife Elizabeth Dole wait as U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to participate in the Armed Forces Welcome Ceremony in honor of the Twentieth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Sept. 30, 2019.]

#8. Sarah Palin

- Positive opinion of this politician: 30%
--- Positive opinion among women: 42% (40th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 58% (64th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 26% (93rd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 25% (28th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 39% (15th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 44%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 18%
- People who have heard of this politician: 93%

Sarah Palin hurtled to fame when presidential candidate Sen. John McCain named the then-governor of Alaska to be his running mate in 2008. An outdoor enthusiast and hunter, Pailin opposed same-sex marriage and abortion rights, and supported expanded drilling in Alaska, including in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The self-proclaimed maverick with an anti-intellectual outlook fell short on the campaign trail, with gaffes and a lack of political knowledge, particularly in foreign relations. Her unabashed style is seen by many as paving the way for the successful candidacy of President Donald Trump.

[Pictured: Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin gives a media interview before the start of a funeral service for Rev. Billy Graham in Charlotte, North Carolina, on March 2, 2018.]

#7. Ted Cruz

- Positive opinion of this politician: 31%
--- Positive opinion among women: 40% (59th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 60% (45th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 27% (88th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 21% (95th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 41% (10th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 42%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 18%
- People who have heard of this politician: 91%

Ted Cruz was elected with tea party support to the U.S. Senate in 2012, where he helped orchestrate a 16-day government shutdown based in part on Republican opposition to President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act. He lost the Republican presidential nomination to Donald Trump in 2016 after a bruising campaign, and at first declined to endorse his former rival, but has since become a major Trump supporter. During his campaign, Cruz advocated for a 10% flat income tax, elimination of estate taxes, and the dismantling of the Internal Revenue Service. He overcame an unexpectedly strong challenge for re-election in 2018 from Democrat Beto O’Rourke.

[Pictured: Texas Sen. Texas Ted Cruz questions former deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein during a Republican-led Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington D.C. on June 3, 2020.]

#6. Henry Kissinger

- Positive opinion of this politician: 36%
--- Positive opinion among women: 44% (18th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 56% (86th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 21% (103rd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 23% (76th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 45% (2nd most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 19%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 27%
- People who have heard of this politician: 83%

Bavarian-born Henry Kissinger came to America when he was 15. He was secretary of state under President Richard Nixon and won the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize for his “peace with honor” effort to end the Vietnam War. But the diplomat came under criticism for the U.S. bombing campaigns in North Vietnam and in Cambodia. Considered smart and shrewd, Kissinger also was credited with helping achieve détente between the United States and the Soviet Union, and with negotiating the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT I).

[Pictured: Henry A. Kissinger, former U.S. Secretary of State, speaks at the award of the Henry A. Kissinger Prize to the German Chancellor in Berlin on Jan. 21, 2020.]

#5. Mike Pence

- Positive opinion of this politician: 37%
--- Positive opinion among women: 44% (14th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 56% (90th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 26% (94th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 24% (45th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 40% (12th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 43%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 14%
- People who have heard of this politician: 93%

Mike Pence was a conservative radio and television talk show host in the 1990s before he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000 and then as governor of Indiana in 2012. He is now vice president to President Donald Trump. The Christian conservative is strongly opposed to abortion rights and same-sex marriage and has significant evangelical support. In 2018 Pence announced the administration's plan to add a Space Force branch to the U.S. military. More recently, he was named by Trump to head the administration response to the coronavirus pandemic. He came under fire for declining to wear a face mask to the Mayo Clinic, saying he wanted to be able to look people in the eye.

[Pictured: U.S. Vice President Mike Pence speaks after the launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the manned Crew Dragon spacecraft at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on May 30, 2020.]

#4. Ben Carson

- Positive opinion of this politician: 37%
--- Positive opinion among women: 46% (10th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 54% (94th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 25% (96th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 25% (31st most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 40% (13th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 33%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 15%
- People who have heard of this politician: 85%

Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson is U.S secretary of housing and urban development (HUD). The religious conservative opposes same-sex marriage and has questioned whether homosexuality is a choice. Carson ran an unsuccessful presidential campaign in 2016, and at HUD has been criticized for a lack of experience.

[Pictured: U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson speaks during a press briefing about the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington D.C. on March 14, 2020.]

#3. Donald Trump

- Positive opinion of this politician: 39%
--- Positive opinion among women: 47% (5th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 53% (99th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 25% (97th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 25% (26th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 41% (11th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 52%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 8%
- People who have heard of this politician: 98%

Donald Trump was a real estate developer who gained national attention when he starred on the reality television show “The Apprentice.” The unlikely politician defeated 16 Republican rivals to land the party’s presidential nomination in 2016 and, in what was a surprise to many observers, defeated Hillary Clinton in the general election. In the White House, Trump survived an impeachment effort but as he faces re-election, his political standing has sunk over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

[Pictured: President Donald Trump walks to the podium to deliver remarks during his visit to the Puritan Medical Products facility in Guilford, Maine, on June 5, 2020.]

#2. George W. Bush

- Positive opinion of this politician: 42%
--- Positive opinion among women: 51% (1st most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 51% (103rd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 51% (81st most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 25% (21st most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 37% (28th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 32%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 24%
- People who have heard of this politician: 97%

The 43rd U.S. president George W. Bush was in office for the 9/11 attacks. In response, his administration launched the Department of Homeland Security and the Patriot Act that expanded government surveillance capabilities, and led an international war on terror that included the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Bush also was in the White House when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. Bush had a penchant for malapropisms and mangling phrases that became known as “Bushisms,” and he was popular for his affable Texas style.

[Pictured: Former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush.]

#1. Arnold Schwarzenegger

- Positive opinion of this politician: 55%
--- Positive opinion among women: 46% (8th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among men: 54% (96th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Millennials: 34% (47th most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Generation X: 28% (2nd most popular Republican)
--- Positive opinion among Baby Boomers: 31% (66th most popular Republican)
- Negative opinion of this politician: 16%
- Neutral opinion of this politician: 26%
- People who have heard of this politician: 97%

Arnold Schwarzenegger moved from being a world-class bodybuilder to a blockbuster action movie star to the governor of California. His administration passed landmark measures to fight global warming, but struggled when the state grappled with the recession in 2008. Schwarzenegger clinched his celebrity status by joining the Kennedy clan with his marriage to Maria Shriver in 1986. She filed for divorce in 2011. The charismatic, Austrian-born star returned to Hollywood after leaving office in 2011, starring in “Terminator: Dark Fate” in 2019.

[Pictured: Arnold Schwarzenegger addresses the crowd at the Arnold Sports Festival on March 7, 2020.]

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