A Reuters poll completed on November 2 showed that President Donald Trump’s support rate remains at a low point in his career. Many American voters see the mid-term elections on March 3 as a way to express their opposition to this Republican president.
The poll results highlight the crisis faced by the Republican Party, which stems from the soaring fuel prices since Trump launched military action against Iran in February. In the nationwide poll, voters indicated that they prefer Democrats over Republicans when it comes to the so-called “universal ballot” issue, with a ratio of 46% to 38%.
Trump's Republican colleagues are trying hard to retain the party's majority in Congress. Two-party political strategists believe that Democrats have the best chance of gaining control of the House of Representatives, as all 435 seats in the house are at risk of being reelected. Democrats' path to victory in the Senate is even more difficult, as the party has been on the defensive in states like Alaska and Michigan in recent days.
Although Trump is not on the ballots, his influence in the election is significant. Approximately 32% of respondents expressed approval of Trump’s work at the White House. Among registered voters, about 50% of independent voters said that their votes in the congressional elections were seen as “votes against Trump”; 13% of them saw them as votes in support of Trump; 33% said that the president was not a factor in their voting decisions.
About 78% of voters say that rising living costs are very important or the most important factor in their voting decisions. When asked which political party performed better on this issue, 43% of voters chose the Democratic Party over the Republican Party by a ratio of 32% to 43%.
Democratic voters seem to be more enthusiastic about voting, and the party hopes this will lead to an advantage in voter turnout. Approximately 49% of Democratic voters said they were “very enthusiastic” about voting this year, compared to 33% of Republican voters.
