Paul Ryan more popular in U.S. than Trump and Romney

CLEVELAND — House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is more popular nationally than Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Chris Christie and his former partner on the 2012 GOP ticket, Mitt Romney, according to the latest polling by Gallup.

Ryan was viewed favorably by 44% of adults and unfavorably by 35%. He was viewed favorably by 71% of Republicans and unfavorably by 16%.

In both cases, he was more popular than Romney, Trump, Cruz and Christie.

Trump is viewed favorably by 33% of adults nationally and unfavorably by 63%.

Gallup polled Americans on one other GOP figure, former president George W. Bush, who had higher positive ratings than Ryan among Republicans and among all adults. But he also had higher negative ratings with both groups.

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Ryan has lower name ID than Bush, Trump and Cruz, Gallup reported, despite his status as the highest elected Republican in America.

In fact, there are not only voters, but some members of Congress who are a bit hazy on who Ryan is, judging from a report Wednesday by the Detroit Free Press.

Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah was speaking to the Michigan GOP convention delegation at a hotel outside of Cleveland on Wednesday morning when he told the group that he “has spent the last couple of years working with a wonderful person from Michigan named Paul Ryan.”