A Historic Shift on economic trust has been observed after registered voters narrowly favored the Democratic Party over the Republican Party regarding economic management, for the first time in a decade.
On a generic congressional ballot, 42% of registered voters said they would back a Democratic candidate, compared to 37% who favored Republicans, pointing to shifting momentum ahead of the midterm elections.
According to Reuters Ipsos poll, Americans picked Democrats over Republicans as better stewards of the economy, as it found their approval of President Donald Trump’s performance falling to 35%.
The finding, in a poll conducted Wednesday through Monday, showed how Trump’s handling of the economy, including rising energy prices resulting from the Iran war, could weigh on his party’s chances in the November midterm elections that will determine control of Congress for the next two years.
The Republican edge on the economy has steadily deteriorated during Trump’s current term, narrowing to zero in recent months as U.S. household finances suffered from soaring gasoline prices following the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran in February and the war that has been simmering ever since.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll that concluded in May 2017 gave Democrats an edge, though the question was asked differently, with no option for respondents to say they were not sure or that a different party would do better.
Trump has repeatedly dismissed widespread polling showing Americans unhappy with his leadership.
On Monday morning, ahead of the release of the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, he posted to his Truth Social account: “My REAL Polling Numbers, not those made up by the Fake News Media, are the best they have ever been.”
The Reuters/Ipsos poll gathered responses from 4,505 U.S. adults with a margin of minor errors.
While the poll presents a picture of the national political mood, the actual elections for the U.S. Congress are more complex.
Of the 435 House of Representatives seats, only about three dozen are expected to be competitive as compared to eight Senate seat.
