President Biden’s job approval has dropped significantly over the past month, according to a poll out Friday that finds his dwindling fortunes are weighing down Democrats ahead of the Nov. 8 midterm midterms.
Emerson College Polling’s national survey for October found that 53% of U.S. voters disapprove of the job Mr. Biden is doing versus 39% who approve, a 6-point drop in approval from September.
Only a quarter of voters approve of the job Congress is doing, as Democrats try to preserve narrow majorities in both chambers.
Pollsters said 46% of voters plan to support a Republican candidate versus 41% who will support a Democrat. Perhaps most worrying for Democrats, there is an enthusiasm gap.
“Among those who say they are ‘almost certain’ they will vote this November, congressional Republicans lead by 10 percentage points, 51% to 41%. Among those who say they will only ‘probably’ vote, Democrats lead by 11 percentage points, 45% to 34%,” said Spencer Kimball, director of polling at Emerson College.
About two-thirds of voters said the U.S. is on the wrong track and the economy remains the top issue for voters, with 44% citing it compared to 12% who pointed to abortion access and 11% who named threats to democracy.
Republican candidates have focused intensely on inflation this cycle while Democrats have focused on abortion access while insisting they’ve taken steps to alleviate economic concerns.
At a regional level, Republicans have a 12-point lead in congressional contests in the Midwest and South. Congressional Democrats have a 10-point lead in the West but lead by 1 point in the Northeast.
The survey of 1,000 voters was conducted on Oct. 18 and Oct. 19 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 points.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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