Congress' approval rating edges up 3 weeks before midterms, poll shows

Oct. 15 (UPI) -- More Americans are approving the way Congress is doing its job, a new Gallup survey showed Monday.

Twenty-one percent said they approve -- an increase of 2 points from last month and 4 points higher than the poll's average between January and September.

Gallup said this survey marks the first time Congress' favorability rating topped 20 percent in President Donald Trump's presidency. The poll, though, noted nearly three-quarters of Americans still disapprove of the job lawmakers are doing.

Gallup conducted the survey from Oct. 1-10 amid the sexual misconduct accusations against Supreme Court appointee Brett Kavanaugh, in which the Senate played a critical role.

Days before the polling began, accuser Christine Blasey Ford told the Senate judiciary committee she was assaulted by Kavanaugh when both were high school-age teenagers more than 30 years ago. The Senate eventually confirmed the former federal appeals court judge Oct. 6.

Monday, Gallup wrote that most of the approval increase for the GOP-controlled Congress came from Republicans. Republicans' opinion of Congress particularly became more upbeat after the tax overhaul bill in January, the survey said.

Some 36 percent of Republicans approve of Congress's job, up from 31 percent in September. Just 10 percent of Democrats said they approve and 19 percent of independents.

The approval from Republicans is a marked improvement from a year ago, when many in the party criticized lawmakers for failing to scrap key parts of the Affordable Care Act. At the time, GOP approval slid 16 percent.