Most popular Republican in America will surprise you (it’s not Donald Trump)

The most popular Republican in America isn’t Donald Trump. In fact, the GOP-er with the highest approval rating doesn’t currently hold any elected office nor is he seeking one.

YouGov’s popularity poll showed actor and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger had a 55% popularity ranking among adults, the highest of any names included in the poll. Schwarzenegger swept the top spot among individual demographics represented in the poll, including  Millennials (defined as those born between 1982-1999) with 60% approval rating, Generation X (born between 1965-1981) with 50% and Baby Boomers (born between 1945-1964) at 55%.

Former President George W. Bush came third with a 47% approval rating. He was followed by Dr. Ben Carson, former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, at 44%. Trump, the presumptive 2024 GOP presidential nominee, was fourth with a 43% approval rating.

Rounding out the top 10 were former Alaska Governor and former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin (41%); Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (40%); Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (40%); former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (40%), who passed away in November 2023; South Carolina Senator Tim Scott (38%); and late U.S. Senator Bob Dole of Kansas who died in 2021 (38%).

Most popular Democrats

President Joe Biden, expected to face Trump in the November election, was the 9th most popular Democrat, the YouGov rankings showed.

The top 10 most popular Democrats and their approval ratings were:

1. Former President Jimmy Carter – 61%

2. Former President Barack Obama – 59%

3. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders (Independent) – 52%

4. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton – 47%

5. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren – 47%

6. Former President Bill Clinton – 47%

7. Vice President Kamala Harris – 47%

8. Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright – 46%

9. President Joe Biden – 44%

10. New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – 44%

You can see the complete rankings here.