Poll: Trust swings to GOP on economy, jobs

In an ominous sign for Democrats, a new poll has found that people trust the GOP more on the economy and jobs, the two issues most likely to decide the fall elections.

In a USA Today/Gallup poll released Wednesday, 49 percent of respondents said Republicans would do a better job handling the economy than Democrats; only 38 percent said Democrats would be better. 

On jobs, Republicans held a statistically significant 46-41 advantage over Democrats.

{mosads}The results are the latest positive polling figures for Republicans. Gallup found this week that the GOP has a 10-point advantage over Democrats in a generic ballot survey, the largest lead one party has held over the other since the polling group started posing the question in 1942.

House Republican leader John Boehner (Ohio) expressed measured optimism over the poll on Monday, saying that his party still faces an “uphill climb” to take control of the House.

Democrats have pushed back against the GOP’s midterm arguments that the party under Obama has failed to get the economy back on track. They say Republican policies would bring back the conditions that created the 2008 financial meltdown.

The third-rated issue in the poll, corruption in government, paints a more divided picture. Thirty-eight percent say that Republicans would do a better job than Democrats in handling the issue, compared with 35 percent who believe Democrats will do better — a statistical tie.

On other matters, such as immigration, federal spending and terrorism, Republicans held significant advantages. Healthcare, the fifth-rated issue, produced another statistical tie: Democrats were favored 44-43. Democrats also held a 23-point advantage on the environment, which the public ranked as the least important issue for Congress this year out of nine. 

Gallup surveyed 1,021 adults nationally between Aug. 27-30. The margin of error was 4 percent.