Democrats Lead Republicans in Polls Three Months Ahead of Midterms

With three months to go until the U.S. midterm elections in November, voters increasingly seem to prefer Democrats over the Republican Party that has had control of Congress for the last two years.

Results of a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Monday showed that 42% of registered voters would vote for a Democratic congressional candidate at present, compared to 37% for a Republican. 

The same survey also found that, for the first time in nearly a decade of its polling series, voters perceive the Democratic Party as having a better plan for the economy than the Republican Party.

And it’s not the only poll illustrating the diminishing relative appeal of Republicans. As of Aug. 3, the polling average from election data organization Decision Desk HQ shows the Democratic Party holds a 6.7-point lead over the GOP on a generic congressional ballot.

Results of a CNN/SSRS survey released in late July showed Democrats lead Republicans by 8 points on a generic congressional ballot. That’s up from 5 points in January.

Emerson College Polling surveys of likely midterm election voters paint a similar picture. In March, 49% of respondents said they planned to support the Democratic candidate, while 42% said they would vote Republican. By May, Democrats widened that lead by 2 percentage points, and by July, the gap widened by another 2 points to 53% for Democrats and 42% for the GOP.

An Economist/YouGov poll in late July showed Democrats with a 4-point advantage over Republicans, up from 3 points in March.