How popular is Nikki Haley? Here's how she ranks among Trump's team
South Carolinians have strong feelings about their former governor, Nikki Haley.
And, after a year on the job as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, we now know how the rest of America feels about Haley, too.
A new Morning Consult-Politico poll ranks Haley as the second-most-popular member of President Donald Trump's cabinet. Only Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has a higher approval rating from the public. Haley tied for No. 2 with housing secretary Ben Carson.
Haley has a 34 percent approval rating among registered voters, the poll found. That is the same as former brain surgeon and presidential candidate Carson. But Haley's disapproval rating — 20 percent — is lower than Carson's — at 32 percent.
Other respondents said they had no opinion of Haley, or had never heard of the former S.C. governor.
That might seem unusual, as Haley has maintained a high profile at the United Nations, where she has been an aggressive spokeswoman for the Trump administration, sometimes getting out ahead of the White House and State Department on foreign policy lightning-rod issues, including Russia. Haley also has had to maneuver her way around Trump's frequent tweets.
Haley is such a prominent figure in the administration that there is increasing speculation she may run for president in the future. But while Haley flourished under the low-profile tenure of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, it's unclear if she will have the same free hand under incoming secretary Mike Pompeo, currently the CIA director.
Former S.C. Congressman Mick Mulvaney scored a 20 percent approval rating and 22 percent disapproval rating for his handling of the job of White House budget director. Mulvaneycontroversially has served as the interim head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, where he has dropped some high-profile actions against financial companies.
Mulvaney also has been floated as a potential replacement as White House chief of staff.
Current White House chief of staff John Kelly was fourth in the poll, with a 32 percent approval rating. No. 1-ranked Mattis had a 35 percent approval rating.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Attorney General Jeff Sessions tied for the highest disapproval rating — at 38 percent. However, Sessions' approval rating — 29 percent — was higher than DeVos' — 23 percent.
The survey of 1,994 registered voters was conducted March 15-19. It had a 2 percentage point margin of error.
This story was originally published March 22, 2018 at 11:21 AM with the headline "How popular is Nikki Haley? Here's how she ranks among Trump's team."