The Nation - News from May 24, 1987

Six months of investigations into the Iran- contra affair have had no apparent effect on Americans’ political party allegiances, according to a Gallup Poll conducted since the scandal came to light last November. In the survey, 40% described themselves as Democrats, 30% said they were Republicans and 30% called themselves independents--virtually the same proportions that turned up in similar polls before the scandal. In the same interval, President Reagan lost 15 points in public confidence, from an average of 62% approval in the July-October period, to 47% approval between early December and mid-April.