With the 2027 mayoral elections approaching, bipartisan polls have shown a decrease in positive opinion of current Mayor Mike Johnston. Only 39% of voters view him positively, demonstrating a downward trend of favorability as opposed to this time last year. However, voter sentiments demonstrate more discontent with politicians in general.
“We’re starting to see people just complaining about government, politicians in general,” explains Lori Weigel, acting principal at New Bridge Strategy Firm. However, especially in regard to Johnston, 47% of his critics said that he just wasn’t meeting his potential. His initial supporters wanted to see more action but feel he is moving in the opposite direction as of now.
Those who do support Johnston applaud his work in clearing homeless encampments from city centers and setting up shelters for hundreds of less fortunate citizens. In June of 2024, 54% of voters listed homelessness encampments as their top concern. As of August 2026, only 36% of voters named homelessness as their top concern.
Jon Ewing, Johnston’s spokesperson, said the polls showed Johnston was doing a good job. However, Kevin Ingham, principal of Aspect Strategic Firm, explained his data shows; “As his term has worn on, those [initial] voters have become more and more dissatisfied.”
Aspect Strategic is a Democratic firm that partnered with New Bridge Strategy, a Republican firm, to conduct a survey of 400 likely voters in August of this year. These interviews were conducted online or over the phone with a 4.9% margin of error.
Johnston, a Republican candidate, is running again for the 2027 election. He faces major opposition from the political left like Lisa Calderón and Shontel Lewis.
Melat Kiros is a democratic socialist and also poses a threat to Johnston. Polls show 44% of voters see her favorably. This supports Ingham’s point that the city is shifting left and “More people in the city identify their ideology as socialist than conservative.” The polls showed that even if voters do not identify as socialist, 55% see the ideology favorably and the minority lies with the political conservatives at 15%.
Despite the numbers, these polls do not automatically point to a loss for Johnston. Many factors will eventually influence the decisions people make in the election. Current polls do not reflect the electorate, more competition to come and Johnston’s plans for improvement.
