As voters prepare for Tuesday’s U.S. midterms, Democrats led Republicans 43%-32% on handling living costs in a Reuters/Ipsos poll, while 78% called the issue very important or the most important.
On the broader national congressional ballot test, 46% favored Democratic candidates and 38% Republican candidates. The eight-point gap was three points smaller than in the previous Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted a week earlier; EconoTimes covered the previous survey. The generic ballot records national party preference, while control of the House and Senate depends on district and state contests.
Approval for President Donald Trump was reported by 32% of respondents. That matched the week-earlier result and was one point above the 31% recorded two weeks earlier. Among registered voters who identified as independents, 50% said their congressional vote would signal opposition to Trump, 13% said it would show support and 33% said he was not a factor.
Reuters reported that strategists from both parties viewed a Democratic House win as more attainable than a Senate takeover; all 435 House seats are on the ballot. Reuters also cited fuel-price increases since the Iran war began in February as a source of Republican vulnerability. The poll surveyed 1,765 U.S. adults online, closed Nov. 2 and had a 2-percentage-point margin of error. Republicans are defending majorities in both chambers in Tuesday’s election.
