Biden approval up to 45 percent, highest since October: NBC News poll

President Biden’s approval has hit 45 percent in an NBC News poll, giving the president a boost just ahead of November’s crucial midterm elections.

The mark is the highest the president has seen in the poll since October and comes from key parts of his base: He reached a 52 percent approval rating among women, which is up from 47 percent in August; 48 percent approval rating among Latinos, which is up from 40 percent in August; and a 48 percent approval rating among voters 18 to 36 years old, which is up from 36 percent in August.

The poll found that Biden is struggling with independent voters, with 36 percent approving of his performance, and suburban voters, with 43 percent approval. He hit a 47 percent approval rating among seniors.

Biden also saw a 45 percent approval number last week in an Associated Press-NORC poll, which was a spike of 9 percentage points from July. 

August was a big month for the president in terms of legislative wins, including a bill to boost investments in semiconductor chip manufacturing, a bill to provide aid to veterans exposed to toxic burn pits while serving and Democrats’ $750 billion investment to address climate change and lower prescription drug costs.

His improvement in polling also comes amid the steady decline in gas prices the U.S. has seen in the last several weeks.

Biden’s approval is still lower than it was for much of his first year in office, and on issues like the economy, inflation and immigration, he is still seeing poor marks.

The NBC News poll found that only 30 percent approve of his handling of the cost of living, 36 percent approve of his handling of border security and immigration, 40 percent approve of his handling of the economy and 42 percent approve of his handling of foreign policy.

The NBC News poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters from Sept. 9 to 13. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.