A new USA Today/Pew Research Center poll finds that if elections were held today, 47 percent of respondents would select the Republican candidate — compared to only 43 percent who would choose the Democrat.
The response of 1,501 voters — including 1,162 registered voters — shows that Republicans could very well be on track in the midterm elections to take more seats than they’ve done in 20 years, campaign officials said, Newsmax reported.
“That 4 percentage point edge may seem small, but it’s notable because Democrats traditionally fare better among registered voters than they do among those who actually cast ballots, especially in low-turnout midterms,” pollsters for USA Today reported. “The friendly landscape, if it holds, could help the GOP bolster its majority in the House and gain the six seats needed to claim control of the Senate.”
The most recent poll only furthers what other surveys have suggested for the past six months. It was just last October that a similar poll found Democrats had a 6-point lead over Republicans, Newsmax reported.
But now, the Republican Party’s projected lead is the largest that’s been seen for a midterm cycle in the last 20 years — even more than the “wave” elections in 1994 and 2010, Newsmax reported.
USA Today pollsters reported: “Perhaps the most disturbing sign for Democrats [is that] by 43 percent to 39 percent, Americans say following the economic policies of Republican congressional leaders would do more to strengthen the economy over the next few years than following the policies of the Obama administration.”
Still, Democrats do have one advantage over Republicans, the poll found: Most respondents thought Democrat leadership was doing a little better job than GOP counterparts.
“Despite weak job ratings for Republican leaders, the public is divided over whether their economic policies or Obama’s would do more to strengthen the economy over the next few years,” Pew researchers reported. “About four in 10 [or 43 percent] think Republican leaders’ policies would do more for the economy while about the same share 939 percent] says Obama’s policies would be more effective.”
One other poll finding: Sixty-five percent versus 30 percent want the next president to pursue completely different policies than President Obama’s, Newsmax reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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