by Casey Harper
Voters have swung in favor of Congressional Republicans’ handling of key issues by a significant margin as the midterm elections draw closer, newly released polling shows.
The Politico/Morning Consult poll released Wednesday reports that surveyed voters prefer Republicans work on the economy, jobs, immigration and national security. These figures, the latest in several polls showing poor numbers for Democrats, come alongside more than two dozen Congressional Democrats opting not to run for reelection.
The poll found voters prefer Republicans’ handling of the economy to Democrats 47% to 34%, Republicans’ work on jobs 45% to 35%, immigration 45% to 37% and national security 49% to 32%.
Democrats performed better on issues like climate change and health care, but the rise of inflation and the chaotic and deadly withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan along with the Ukraine-Russia border situation have thrust national security and economic issues to the forefront.
“No wonder so many House Democrats are retiring,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Berg said.
This week, two more Congressional Democrats announced they would not run for reelection, bringing the total to 28, just more than double the Republicans’ 13. Members cite a range of reasons, including running for other offices, but political analysts say expected losses in the midterms are pushing many to throw in the towel early.
Democrats currently control the U.S. House with a 221-212 majority with two vacancies. All 435 seats are up for re-election in November.
Wednesday’s poll comes after Gallup released polling data Tuesday showing that surveys from 2021 demonstrated a historic shift toward the Republican party.
Gallup released polling showing that during 2021, millions of Americans switched from an affiliation with the Democratic party to the Republican party. Gallup reports “a nine-percentage-point Democratic advantage in the first quarter to a rare five-point Republican edge in the fourth quarter.
“Both the nine-point Democratic advantage in the first quarter and the five-point Republican edge in the fourth quarter are among the largest Gallup has measured for each party in any quarter since it began regularly measuring party identification and leaning in 1991,” Gallup said.
Another Rasmussen poll released Wednesday reports that 50% of surveyed respondents rate Biden’s first year as “very unsuccessful” while 12% say it was “very successful,” with the rest somewhere in between.
“President Joe Biden’s first year in office has been a failure, according to a majority of voters who say the Democrat has left the country more divided than when he was inaugurated,” Rasmussen said.
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Casey Harper reports for The Center Square. He is a Senior Reporter for the Washington, D.C. Bureau. He previously worked for The Daily Caller, The Hill, and Sinclair Broadcast Group. A graduate of Hillsdale College, Casey’s work has also appeared in Fox News, Fox Business, and USA Today.
