Republicans edge past Democrats in survey of favorability

Republicans’ favorability rating clocked in 5 percentage points higher than Democrats’, according to a new Gallup poll, bucking a historical trend in which Democrats typically have the edge.

The survey found 44 percent of respondents now hold a favorable view of the Republican Party, compared to 39 percent for the Democratic Party.

The new poll is the third time Republicans have seen a higher favorability rating than Democrats in the past decade, a potential warning sign for Democrats as they hope to hold their razor-thin congressional majorities in the upcoming midterm elections, although Gallup notes that the measure has not been proven to be strongly tied to election results.

Democrats’ favorability in the new survey is the worst for the party since March 2015 and 12 percentage points lower than their historical average.

Except for brief stints, including Democrats in November 2012 and Republicans in January 2020, neither party’s favorability rating has reached a majority over the past decade. 

The latest poll found most who identify as a Republican or Democrat view their own party favorably, but Democrats’ ratings of their own party fell to 84 percent, an 8-point drop from last year as President Biden’s approval rating remains underwater.

Republicans also hold a 20-point advantage when pollsters asked respondents who would do a better job protecting the U.S. from terrorism and military threats.

Fifty-seven percent said they prefer the Republican Party on those issues, compared to 37 percent who indicated the Democratic Party.

A majority of respondents — 51 percent — suggested Republicans are better able to keep the country prosperous, tying the highest on record for the party and representing a 10-point lead over Democrats.

The polling comes as Americans express anxiety about inflation that recently hit a 40-year high. 

Consumer confidence has seen two consecutive monthly upticks, although the measure remains below levels seen earlier in President Biden’s term.

The Gallup poll was conducted between Sept. 1 and Sept. 16 through telephone interviews with 812 U.S. adults. The margin of error is 4 percentage points.