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Obama’s approval hits 50 percent in poll

President Obama’s approval rating has hit 50 percent for the first time in more than two years, according to a CNN/ORC poll released Tuesday morning.

{mosads}Approval for Obama has increased 5 points since last month.

The last time Obama saw approval from at least half of Americans came in May 2013, when 53 percent of Americans surveyed in the poll said they thought he was doing a good job.

Forty-seven percent of Americans currently disapprove of his job performance.

The numbers come in the wake of a pair of favorable Supreme Court decisions upholding ObamaCare subsidies and legalizing same-sex marriage across the country.

Obama’s overall approval has been bolstered by his handling of race relations. Fifty-five percent of Americans now look favorably at his handling of the issue.

The findings follow a mass shooting at a historic black church in Charleston, S.C., in mid-June and several high-profile police-involved deaths of unarmed black men.

A plurality of Americans surveyed in the poll, including black and white respondents, however, said that race relations have worsened since Obama became president six years ago.

A majority of Americans – 53 percent – disapprove of Obama’s handling of gun policy, while 42 percent approve. Obama called for gun control a day after the Charleston shooting.

On the economy, Obama’s approval has also increased steadily since June of last year, topping 50 percent this month for the first time in more than six years.

The interview of 1,017 U.S. adults was conducted June 26-28 via landlines and cellphones with a margin of error of 3 points. The sampling of error on the economy is 4.5 points for 521 interviews.