Democrats’ lead over Republicans on the generic House ballot is shrinking, according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll published Monday.
{mosads}Among registered voters, 47 percent said they would vote for the Democratic candidate, while 43 percent chose the Republican — just a 4-point advantage for Democrats. As for voters who say they are both registered and will definitely cast ballots, 49 percent said they would pick the Democratic candidate, while 44 percent said the Republican.
Those numbers are down from January, the poll notes, when Democrats held a 12-point lead over Republicans among registered voters and 15 points over the GOP among voters who self-report registration and say they will definitely cast ballots.
Democrats currently hold a 6.2-point lead over Republicans in the RealClearPolitics generic House ballot poll average.
The ABC News/Washington Post poll also shows that self-disclosed Democratic voter registration has decreased since November, when 84 percent of Democrats and independents who lean left said they are registered voters. The most recent survey found that 75 percent of Democrats and independents who lean left say they are registered to vote.
The poll comes as both parties gear up for the midterm elections in November, when Republicans must protect majorities in both chambers of Congress. Democrats have to flip 24 seats in the fall in order to take the House.
Half of the respondents said backing a congressional candidate who has the same view of President Trump as they do is important, with 28 percent of those polled saying it is “extremely” important and 22 percent saying it is “very” important.
The survey of 1,002 individuals and 865 registered voters was conducted by phone in both English and Spanish from April 8-11. It has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.
— Updated at 10:31 a.m.