Poll Finds Democrats Ahead of Republicans on Most Tested Issues Before Midterms
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The Facts
- The ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll surveyed 2,545 U.S. adults from October 9 to 13.
- The poll found Democrats were trusted more than Republicans on 11 of 12 tested issues.
- Democrats led Republicans by 23 percentage points on health care.
- Democrats led Republicans by 14 points on inflation and the cost of living.
- Republicans held a five-point advantage over Democrats on crime.
- Trump's job approval was 33%, while 66% of respondents disapproved.
- The November 3 midterms will determine control of the U.S. House and Senate.
Context
Which issues gave Democrats their largest advantages?
Health care was Democrats' largest advantage, at 23 points. They also led by 14 points on education and schools, inflation, and the cost of living. Newsweek
What did the poll find on immigration?
Democrats held a two-point advantage over Republicans on immigration in the survey. Newsweek
Do the results predict individual congressional races?
No. The survey was described as a snapshot of public opinion rather than a prediction of individual congressional contests. Financial Express
Where Left and Right agree
Left and right largely agree on this one.
- What both sides accept
- A 23-point health care gap and a 14-point cost-of-living gap outweigh the five-point Republican edge on crime as the issue set most likely to decide the midterms.
- Where Left and Right differ in emphasis
- The left and right agree the health and cost gaps matter most — differing on verdict versus warning.
How left and right read it
Trust on health care and the cost of living should decide who controls Congress, since those are the pressures shaping daily life — and Democrats hold a 23-point edge on health care and 14 points on cost of living, part of an 11-of-12 issue lead.
“The revelation comes as the president is beset by a series of political headaches, including the brief tenure of Katie Zacharia as the White House Press Secretary and widespread anger over the war in Iran.” — The Independent
Holding an edge on crime means little when voters are bleeding on their household budgets, and a 23-point gap on health care paired with a 14-point gap on inflation shows exactly where trust has collapsed. A 33 percent approval rating is a warning that affordability must become the central argument before control of the House and Senate is decided.
The 23-point health care gap reads as a finished verdict to the left and a fixable warning to the right, with November the real test.
The receipts — 8 sources
Independent coverage (8)
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