It remained over 50 percent during most of his first term[337] and then fell to as low as 19 percent in his second term.[338]
In 2000 and again in 2004, Time magazine named George W. Bush as its Person of the Year, a title awarded to someone who the editors believe "has done the most to influence the events of the year".[339] In May 2004, Gallup reported that 89 percent of the Republican electorate approved of Bush.[340] However, the support waned due mostly to a minority of Republicans' frustration with him on issues of spending, illegal immigration, and Middle Eastern affairs.[341]
Within the United States armed forces, according to an unscientific survey, the president was strongly supported in the 2004 presidential elections.[342] While 73 percent of military personnel said they would vote for Bush, 18 percent preferred his Democratic rival, John Kerry.[342] According to Peter Feaver, a Duke University political scientist who has studied the political leanings of the U.S. military, members of the armed services supported Bush because they found him more likely than Kerry to complete the War in Iraq.