About half of Iowans approve of the work the state’s two U.S. senators are doing in Congress, according to a new Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll.
But the share of Iowans who disapprove of Republican U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst has risen by 4 percentage points each since March 2023. And each senator lost ground with Republicans and evangelicals as a growing share of those groups say they disapprove of their job performances.
Overall, 47% of Iowans now approve of the job Grassley is doing in the Senate, down slightly from 49% a year ago. And 45% disapprove, an increase from 41% a year ago. Another 8% are not sure.
The poll shows 48% approve of Ernst’s performance — up a tick from 47% a year ago. Another 43% disapprove, up from 39%. And 9% are not sure.
Shawn Fesler, a 45-year-old poll respondent who identifies as a Republican and who agreed to a follow-up interview, said he’s among those who have a negative view of Grassley.
“Senators and Congress should have term limits like the presidents do,” he said. “I don't really get behind the career politicians.”
Fesler, an Ottumwa resident, said he has a more favorable view of Ernst. He likes that she has been more open to same-sex marriages and that she voted for legislation guaranteeing federal recognition of any marriage between two people if the union was valid in the state where they wed.
The poll of 804 Iowa adults was conducted Feb. 25-28 by Selzer & Co. of Des Moines. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
Both Grassley and Ernst have lost ground with Iowa Republicans and evangelicals over the past year, the poll shows.
Among Republicans, 70% approve of Grassley’s job performance and 23% disapprove. That’s down from a year ago, when 81% of Republicans approved and 11% disapproved.
Among evangelicals, the drop-off is even more pronounced. Now, 57% of evangelicals approve of Grassley’s performance — down 18 percentage points from a year ago, when 75% of evangelicals approved.
Thirty-six percent of evangelicals disapprove now, up 15 points from 21% in 2023.
“Evangelicals seem to be backing off of their appreciation for the senior senator, which may be part of the reason his approval rating dropped a bit,” said pollster J. Ann Selzer.
Ernst also saw erosion with both groups.
Among Republicans, 66% approve of her performance, down from 75% a year ago.
And the share of evangelicals who say they approve of Ernst’s job performance has fallen 6 percentage points from 64% in March 2023 to 58% today, putting her about on par with Grassley’s current numbers.
Ernst previously faced conservative pushback for a string of votes she took related to same-sex marriage, firearms legislation and Ukraine funding in 2022 and early 2023. But Grassley’s votes have not made as many public waves.
At the same time, Selzer noted, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is not only holding his own with evangelicals, but his popularity is rising.
“It’s not that evangelicals have tired of Republicans,” she said.
Trump is not in office, so his job approval was not tested by the Iowa Poll. But the share of evangelicals who view him favorably has grown.
In 2023, 58% of Iowa evangelicals viewed him favorably. That’s up to 70% today.
But the share of Iowans who disapprove of Republican U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst has risen by 4 percentage points each since March 2023. And each senator lost ground with Republicans and evangelicals as a growing share of those groups say they disapprove of their job performances.
Overall, 47% of Iowans now approve of the job Grassley is doing in the Senate, down slightly from 49% a year ago. And 45% disapprove, an increase from 41% a year ago. Another 8% are not sure.
The poll shows 48% approve of Ernst’s performance — up a tick from 47% a year ago. Another 43% disapprove, up from 39%. And 9% are not sure.
Shawn Fesler, a 45-year-old poll respondent who identifies as a Republican and who agreed to a follow-up interview, said he’s among those who have a negative view of Grassley.
“Senators and Congress should have term limits like the presidents do,” he said. “I don't really get behind the career politicians.”
Fesler, an Ottumwa resident, said he has a more favorable view of Ernst. He likes that she has been more open to same-sex marriages and that she voted for legislation guaranteeing federal recognition of any marriage between two people if the union was valid in the state where they wed.
The poll of 804 Iowa adults was conducted Feb. 25-28 by Selzer & Co. of Des Moines. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
Both Grassley and Ernst have lost ground with Iowa Republicans and evangelicals over the past year, the poll shows.
Among Republicans, 70% approve of Grassley’s job performance and 23% disapprove. That’s down from a year ago, when 81% of Republicans approved and 11% disapproved.
Among evangelicals, the drop-off is even more pronounced. Now, 57% of evangelicals approve of Grassley’s performance — down 18 percentage points from a year ago, when 75% of evangelicals approved.
Thirty-six percent of evangelicals disapprove now, up 15 points from 21% in 2023.
“Evangelicals seem to be backing off of their appreciation for the senior senator, which may be part of the reason his approval rating dropped a bit,” said pollster J. Ann Selzer.
Ernst also saw erosion with both groups.
Among Republicans, 66% approve of her performance, down from 75% a year ago.
And the share of evangelicals who say they approve of Ernst’s job performance has fallen 6 percentage points from 64% in March 2023 to 58% today, putting her about on par with Grassley’s current numbers.
Ernst previously faced conservative pushback for a string of votes she took related to same-sex marriage, firearms legislation and Ukraine funding in 2022 and early 2023. But Grassley’s votes have not made as many public waves.
At the same time, Selzer noted, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is not only holding his own with evangelicals, but his popularity is rising.
“It’s not that evangelicals have tired of Republicans,” she said.
Trump is not in office, so his job approval was not tested by the Iowa Poll. But the share of evangelicals who view him favorably has grown.
In 2023, 58% of Iowa evangelicals viewed him favorably. That’s up to 70% today.
Iowa Poll: Nearly half approve of jobs Ernst, Grassley are doing, but disapproval grows
Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst lost ground with Iowa Republicans and evangelicals as a growing share say they disapprove of the jobs they are doing.
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