The Nation - News from May 10, 1987

The American people give Nancy Reagan generally positive grades for her handling of First Lady duties, the latest Gallup Poll found. Approvals of her performance outnumbered disapprovals 58% to 23%, and 19% were undecided. Unlike the public’s assessment of President Reagan, which is sharply polarized along political lines, majorities of self-described Democrats and independents, as well as Republicans, expressed support of his wife’s conduct. While Mrs. Reagan is considered more active politically than many of her predecessors, the weight of public opinion is almost 2 to 1 that her influence on the President is “not too much” (55%) rather than “too much” (32%).