Dems lead GOP by 11 on generic midterms ballot
Democrats hold an 11-point lead over Republicans on a generic House ballot, according to a new poll from Marist.
Registered voters favor Democrats over Republicans, 49 percent to 38 percent, according to the generic ballot question, with 5 percent supporting neither party and 8 percent undecided.
Support for Democrats has jumped since last month, as the previous Marist poll showed Democrats with a 6-point edge over Republicans, 46 to 40 percent.
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Republicans have seen some good news in polling since December, with some surveys showing them narrowing the gap on the generic ballot question and growing support for the tax-cut bill passed on GOP votes in December.
But the new Marist poll suggests the party remains at a disadvantage headed into the midterm elections this fall.
Democrats believe President Trump will be a drag on the GOP and that his low approval ratings will sink GOP congressional candidates in the fall.
The Marist poll found Democrats gathering support among independents, with 43 percent of independent voters in favor of Democratic candidates and 32 percent backing Republicans. Last month, 36 percent supported Democrats and 38 percent went for Republicans.
The Marist poll’s numbers for Democrats are more optimistic than most polls, with its 11-point lead topping the RealClearPolitics average of 6.7 percent.
Democrats need to win a net 24 congressional seats to regain control of the House.
In the Senate, the GOP has just a one-seat edge but has a favorable map, with just eight Republicans defending seats, mostly in relatively safe states.
Democrats are defending more than two-dozen seats, many of them in states won by Trump in 2016.
The Marist poll surveyed 1,012 U.S. adults from Feb. 5 to 7 and had a margin of error 3.7 percentage points. Results for the 807 registered voters within the sample had an estimated 4.1-point margin of error.
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