Obama's job approval now outpaces Reagan's in 1988

The new poll also finds Obama’s approval rating holding at 55%, matching the high-point for the President’s second term reached earlier in October. Voters behind Trump and Clinton are sharply polarized in their reviews of Obama’s handling of the presidency, with 93% of Clinton’s supporters saying they approve of Obama while 91% of Trump’s backers disapprove.

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About 7-in-10 voters say that if Clinton is elected, they think she will mostly carry out Obama’s policies, 27% think she’ll go in a different direction. But most of those who say she’ll follow Obama’s lead consider that to be a bad thing: 40% see it as a negative that she’ll pursue Obama’s policies, 28% say it’s a positive. That tilt stems mostly from the fact that about 8-in-10 who back Trump say Clinton will follow Obama’s policies (84%) and add that it’s a bad move (82% say that). Her own supporters are split on whether she’ll continue in Obama’s direction (57%) or head another way (40%).

Obama’s approval rating now outpaces Ronald Reagan’s 51% approval rating at this time in 1988 and is nearly on par with Bill Clinton’s 57% mark in October 2000. The positive reviews for Obama and the direction the country’s heading suggest a positive electoral environment for Democrats heading in to the elections next month.

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