Argentina Poll: Leaders Have Higher Negative Than Positive Ratings

A new national survey by AtlasIntel in partnership with Bloomberg has once again led to an uncomfortable conclusion for the entire political spectrum: the main figures measured end up, once again, with a more negative image than positive. In the political reading, this gap suggests that the governor retains a relatively stable core of support and, at the same time, a lower rejection ceiling than other leaders with high exposure. In the opposition, on the other hand, the data celebrated internally is that Kicillof appears better off in balance: he sums up 40% positive image against 53% negative, a differential of -13 points, superior to that of the president himself. Even in a scenario crossed by rejections, this is an extreme record, which confirms that his figure is still associated with a stage of strong wear and tear for broad sectors of public opinion. The final photograph leaves a simple but forceful lesson: Argentine politics discusses leadership on an increasingly rough terrain, where almost no one achieves a 'positive balance' and the majority competes to manage their rejection ceiling. The study orders the leaders by positive image (not by differential), but when observing the 'balance' – the gap between positives and negatives – a different reading appears: in a scenario of polarization and wear and tear, it is not always the one who scores the most who wins, but the one who generates the least rejection. In the ruling party, they highlight that Milei maintains the lead in comparative approval among the 'heavyweights' measured. The survey was conducted with 4,761 national interviews between February 19 and 24, 2026, with a margin of error of ±1 percentage point. In parallel, Kicillof's case stands out for combining a high level of recognition with the least adverse balance within the leading group, something that in politics is often worth as much as an extra point of positive. Another signal that the ruling party looks at with a magnifying glass also appears: the minister and senator Patricia Bullrich remains among the figures with the most positive (40%), but with a high negative (58%), leaving her with a balance of -18. The percentages are recorded as they appear in the report. The upper box summarizes the main tension of the scenario: Milei leads in support, but cannot escape the pattern of majority rejection, with 57% negative. The first is that Karina Milei appears with 20% positive and 68% negative (balance -48), a number that reflects exposure and polarization around the role she plays in the ruling coalition's formation. In a coalition that lives off the initiative, her presence at the top sustains the idea of a 'hard core' of ruling figures, even with high rejection. In the case of Cristina Kirchner, the survey places her fourth in positive image (38%) and with a negative of 58%, balance -20. The second is the level of 'don't know/don't answer' of Victoria Villarruel (18%) and, above all, of Juan Schiaretti (27%), which shows a greater relative ignorance and a less installed profile in the daily national conversation. The 'pit' of the ranking is marked by former President Alberto Fernández, with 8% positive and 82% negative, the worst differential in the list (-74). In this context, Milei maintains the lead in adherence, but fails to dismantle the majority rejection; Kicillof shows competitiveness in differential; Cristina Kirchner sustains centrality with her usual ceiling; and the rest are ordered in a band where wear and tear affects both ruling party and opposition figures.