The Effects of the George W. Bush Presidency on Partisan Attitudes

Abstract

Evidence from the eight years of the George W. Bush administration confirms that the public standing of the president's party rises and falls in concert with popular evaluations of his job performance. Reactions to the president affect the favorability ratings of his party, party identification measured individually and at the aggregate level—particularly among younger voters—as well as the party's electoral performance. Bush's second term, which provoked the longest period of low and downward‐trending approval ratings on record, thus inflicted considerable damage on the Republican Party's image, popular support, and electoral fortunes.