Massachusetts Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey (Wikipedia photos)
STATE HOUSE — The Bay State’s U.S. senators got reserved support from local voters this summer in a poll released Tuesday morning that ranked Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey in the middle of the pack when stacked up against a set of surveys conducted in all 50 states.
Warren came in at number 25 in Morning Consult’s rankings with 57 percent of her Massachusetts constituents expressing approval. Markey made the upper half of the ranked 100 senators at number 46, with 52 percent approval in his home state.
A higher percentage registered disapproval of Warren’s performance – 33 percent – compared to 20 percent who disapproved of Markey’s performance. But more respondents had made up their mind about Warren. Ten percent were unsure of their opinion on Warren, while 28 percent said they “don’t know” what to think of Markey.
Of New England’s 12 senators, Warren ranked eighth in approval, Markey tenth. Warren’s disapproval score was the second-highest in New England, behind New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s 37 percent. Shaheen’s constituents gave her the lowest favorable score among New England senators – 48 percent.
Warren, a tenured Harvard professor, was elected to the Senate in 2012. Markey served 36 years in the House before going on to the Senate in 2013. Warren’s Senate term expires in 2018, Markey’s in 2020.
Morning Consult reported a 3 percent margin of error for the Massachusetts poll, which sampled 1,296 registered voters.
Earlier this year, in a poll conducted by the same firm, Bay Staters catapulted Gov. Charles Baker to a 72 percent approval rating – higher than any of his 49 peers. Sixteen percent expressed disapproval of Baker’s work, which also tied Baker for lowest disapproval score.
This series of polls, conducted from May through September, asked voters in each state about their senators in Washington.
Topping the popularity contest heads above the rest was Vermont Democrat Bernard Sanders, who was still waging his presidential campaign during the first half of the poll sample. Eighty-seven percent of surveyed Vermonters approved of Sanders and 12 percent disapproved. One percent were unsure of their opinion. Sanders was first elected to the Senate in 2006 following 16 years as a Congressman.
The second-place senator on Tuesday’s rankings was nearly 20 points behind Sanders.
Rounding out the national top 10 list are Susan Collins (R-Me.) with 69 percent approval to 21 percent disapproval; John Thune (R-S.D.), 68 to 17; Thomas Carper (D-Del.), 66 to 18; Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), 66 to 24; Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), 65 to 26; Brian Schatz (D-Hi.), 64 to 13; Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), 64 to 23; John Hoeven (D-N.D.), 63 to 19; and John Reed (D-R.I.), 63 to 20.
Nationally, Morning Consult found the least-popular senator to be Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky with 51 percent disapproval and 39 percent approval. Sen. Mark Kirk got the lowest approval score – 35, with 38 percent disapproval. Kirk, an Illinois Republican, is currently running his first Senate re-election campaign.
Massachusetts Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey (Wikipedia photos) 
