Iowans split on whether they approve or disapprove of Joni Ernst, Iowa Poll shows
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Iowans are split on U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst’s job performance, with slightly more disapproving than approving.
A new Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll shows Ernst, a Republican who is serving her second term, has the approval of 44% of Iowans, while 45% disapprove and 11% are not sure.
Those results are nearly identical to the last time the Iowa Poll asked the question, in July. Then, Ernst’s approval and disapproval ratings were evenly split, at 44%, with 12% unsure.
Ernst’s 44% approval rating has held steady over the last three Iowa Polls. Meanwhile, her disapproval rating has inched up 1 percentage point since July, to 45%, matching her previous high in March 2021.
The poll of 804 Iowa adults was conducted Oct. 9-12 by Selzer & Co. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
Kjirstin Osland, a 20-year-old poll respondent who grew up in Muscatine, said she disapproves of Ernst because of Ernst’s opposition to abortion rights.
“She wants to take away women’s rights and health care, and I just can’t support that because women need to stand up for each other and support each other,” said Osland, a Democrat who is in college studying neuroscience. “And I just feel like she continuously makes decisions to bring us down.”
Ernst has described herself as “adamantly pro-life" and praised the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in June to overturn Roe v. Wade and eliminate the national right to abortion. She voted earlier this year against a bill that would have legalized protections for abortion nationwide.
Kevin De Kam, a Republican and 61-year-old poll respondent from Rock Rapids, said Ernst “stands for the values I do.”
“She stands for our country, for freedom, for our 2A rights — well top of the list she stands for unborn children,” he said. “And family. Don’t forget family.”
More:See where Iowa candidates stand on key issues in the 2022 midterm elections
Which groups approve and disapprove of Joni Ernst?
Ernst has the approval of 73% of Republicans, 42% of independents and 12% of Democrats.
Conversely, 20% of Republicans, 44% of independents and 80% of Democrats disapprove of her job performance.
Among other demographic groups, Ernst has the approval of at least half of evangelicals (62%), Catholics (55%), rural dwellers (55%), men (54%), residents of the 4th Congressional District (54%), town dwellers (52%), Protestants (51%) and those age 65 and older (50%).
Majorities of several demographic groups also disapprove of Ernst, including those with no religious affiliation (67%), Iowans with a college degree (54%), city dwellers (54%), women (53%), suburban Iowans (52%), those younger than 35 (51%) and residents of the 3rd Congressional District (51%). Ernst draws approval from the same groups who approve of Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, but she consistently earns smaller shares of those Iowans than Reynolds.
More:How to vote in Iowa's 2022 elections for governor, US Senate, state Legislature
Equal percentages of Iowans view Joni Ernst favorably and unfavorably
Iowans were also asked whether they feel favorably toward Ernst or unfavorably.
On that measure, the results split evenly, at 45% each.
That’s a downward swing from the last time the Iowa Poll measured how favorably Iowans view Ernst, in September 2021. In that poll, 50% of Iowans viewed Ernst favorably and 40% viewed her unfavorably.
Ernst’s 45% unfavorable rating is a new high for her in the Iowa Poll — it’s 1 percentage point higher than in September 2020.
Ernst is viewed favorably by 75% of Republicans, 45% of independents and 11% of Democrats.
Nineteen percent of Republicans view Ernst unfavorably, as do 43% of independents and 82% of Democrats.
Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller.
About this poll
The Iowa Poll, conducted October 9-12, 2022, for the Des Moines Register and Mediacom by Selzer & Co. of Des Moines, is based on telephone interviews with 804 Iowans ages 18 or older. Interviewers with Quantel Research contacted households with randomly selected landline and cell phone numbers supplied by Dynata. Interviews were administered in English. Responses were adjusted by age, sex, and congressional district to reflect the general population based on recent American Community Survey estimates.
Questions based on the sample of 804 Iowa adults have a maximum margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. Questions based on the subsample of 620 likely voters in the 2022 general election have a maximum margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points. This means that if this survey were repeated using the same questions and the same methodology, 19 times out of 20, the findings would not vary from the true population value by more than plus or minus 3.5 percentage points or 3.9 percentage points, respectively. Results based on smaller samples of respondents — such as by gender or age — have a larger margin of error.
Republishing the copyright Iowa Poll without credit to the Des Moines Register and Mediacom is prohibited.
Iowa Poll Methodology
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Slightly more Iowans disapprove of Joni Ernst, Iowa Poll finds
