Americans still hate the new GOP tax law - and Republicans should be nervous

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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan

• A new poll from Gallup showed the GOP tax law remains unpopular.
• 39% of people surveyed by Gallup approved of the law, while 52% disapproved.
• The survey is the latest in a string of polls that have shown the law with dismal popularity.
• The numbers could be worrying for Republicans, who are relying on tax cuts to be a large part of their 2018 midterm election message.

Americans still aren't on board with the new Republican tax law, and its unpopularity could be a problem for the GOP in the 2018 midterm elections.

According to a new survey from Gallup, just 39% of Americans said they support the new tax law while 52% disapproved of the law. That represents a slight improvement from Gallup's survey immediately after the law's passage in January, when just 33% of respondents supported it.

But the law remains significantly underwater, and many people aren't sure how it will affect their income.

According to Gallup:

• 9% of people surveyed said they expect their taxes to increase under the new law;
• 18% expect their tax burden to decrease;
• 17% said they expect their taxes to stay the same;
• 56% said they weren't sure.

According to the Tax Policy Center, 65% of Americans should see a tax cut of more than $100 in 2018, while 6% should see an increase of $100 or more.

The Gallup poll is another in a line of recent data casting doubt on its political implications. For instance, few Americans have noticed a larger paycheck after the bill. According to a CNBC poll released in March, just 32% of people reported an increase in take-home pay since the law was implemented in January.

The law's unpopularity is particularly worrying for Republicans, since the issue is expected to be the centerpiece of the party's 2018 midterm messaging.

For instance, the GOP-linked American Action Network has spent around $30 million in ads focusing on the tax law since August and is running $1 million worth of ads this month in vulnerable GOP districts.

The law also did little to help sway the special election in Pennsylvania, which was won last month by Democrat Conor Lamb despite President Donald Trump carrying the district by almost 20 points in 2016. Republican spending on ads that focused on the law dove in the weeks leading up to the vote, and Lamb hammered the GOP by saying the law favored the rich.