Six months out from the election, it would seem that Republicans are in good shape, according to a Pew Research/USA Today poll released this morning. The generic Congressional ballot shows that 47% of registered voters support the Republican candidate or lean Republican while just 43% would vote for the Democratic candidate or lean Democrat. Last October, Democrats led on the generic ballot 49% to 43%. Today’s survey is essentially a 10-point swing from October.
The chart to the right shows just how bad it is for Democrats. In 2010, Republicans experienced a wave of electoral success. At this point in the 2010 election, 44% leaned Democrat and 44% leaned Republican. Currently, 43% lean Democrat and 47% lean Republican.
Also a problem for Democrats is this tidbit from Pew:
At this stage of the campaign, independent voters are 16 points more likely to say they plan to vote Republican (49%) than Democratic (33%) in the midterm.
That’s bad news for Colorado Democrats as Colorado has a fairly healthy population of independents.
A look at the issues driving these terrible numbers for Democrats makes it clear why registered voters are supporting Republicans. From Pew:
Nearly half (48%) of voters say the job situation is the most important or second most important issue to their vote, 42% say health care is a top voting issue, 38% name the budget deficit and 31% name education.
Democrats have done nothing to spur economic growth (which would lead to jobs), Obamacare is their signature/legacy issue, they continue to double down on spending increases and they’ve sold out our kids education to unions. It’s pretty clear why voters are turning away from Democrats and toward Republicans.
The poll was conducted April 23-27 among 1,501 adults (including 1,162 registered voters) across the country.