2018 US Politics - Democrats Narrowly Lead the Congressional Generic Ballot (August 8)

Nearly half of registered voters (45%) and two in five Americans (43%) approve of President Trump’s handling of his job as president. President Trump’s approval rating has remained stable for much of year, with most of his support coming from Americans who identify as Republicans. This week is no different, with 86% of Republicans reporting they approve of the job Trump is doing as president. Independents (34%) and Democrats (11%) are significantly less likely to approve of Trump’s job performance.

Looking ahead to the November midterm election for Congress,  Democrats have a narrow lead (41%) over Republicans (39%) among registered voters. Republicans and Democrats remain loyal to their respective parties, and Independents favor a candidate from another party (28%) to Democrats (20%) or Republicans (17%).

Just one-third of all Americans (34%) believe that the country is headed in the right direction. Americans also remain split on the most important issues facing the country. Immigration (16%) and healthcare (16%) continue to be viewed as the top two issues the nation faces. Party identification seems to be driving the split, with Republicans reporting immigration (29%) as the most important issue, while Democrats  are more likely to say healthcare (20%) is more important.

These are findings from an Ipsos poll conducted for Thomson Reuters between August 3-7, 2018. For the survey, a sample of 1,774 Americans, including 1,479 registered voters, 627 Democrats, 610 Republicans, and 179 Independents ages 18+ were interviewed online.