With control of Congress hanging in the balance, Republicans and Democrats are neck-and-neck in the weeks before November’s midterm elections, according to a poll released on Sunday.
Registered voters are giving the GOP the advantage on inflation, the economy and crime, while Democratic candidates are getting an edge on abortion and climate change, the Washington Post/ABC News poll shows.
Asked if the election for the House were held today, 47% of voters said they would choose the Republican candidate, compared to the 46% who opted for the Democrat – well within the 4 percentage points margin of error in the recent survey.
The results are similar to a Rasmussen Report survey from last Friday that found 44% of likely voters would back the Republican candidate in the midterms, while 42% would support the Democrat.
The GOP’s lead increased one point from a week earlier but it has narrowed since mid-July when Republicans were ahead by as much as 10 percentage points.
When it comes to which party they trust to handle specific issues, voters in the Washington Post/ABC News poll give the upper hand to Republicans over Democrats (56% to 34%) on crime, 54% to 36% on inflation and 54% to 37% on the economy.
But Democrats pulled ahead on abortion (51% to 34%) and climate change (53% to 32%).
The parties are nearly even when it comes to immigration — 45% to 44% in favor of Republicans — though Democrats had the edge on education and schools on 44% to 43%.
The poll also shows that President Biden’s lagging approval ratings are a drag on his party.His disapproval rating is at 53%, with 41% strongly disapproving, compared to his 39% approval rating.
And while the percentage of Americans who say Biden accomplished a “great deal” or a “good amount” has increased by 5 points since last November, 57% say he has accomplished little or nothing.
Still, with consumers struggling with soaring prices and the fallout from the Supreme Court’s June ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, the economy and abortion are taking center stage.
Asked about their single most important issues, 27% cited the economy, 22% choose abortion, 21% opted for inflation and 18% said education and schools. Immigration and climate change were tied at 14%, with crime rounding out the list at 13%.
Voters were split over which party they believed would best handle the country’s main problems — with 42% siding with Democrats and 43% picking Republicans.
And 49% of voters say they prefer the GOP to be in control of Congress to serve as a check on Biden, while 45% say Democrats should be in charge to back the president’s agenda.
Among independents, 51% opt for Republicans over 40% for Democrats.
The poll surveyed 1,006 adults between Sept. 18-21. It has a plus/minus 4 percentage points margin of error.
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