Voters: Give us a Congress that will stand up to Trump
Survey shows president, both parties unpopular
WASHINGTON – Americans are mad, and that puts Republicans at risk.
A new USA TODAY/ Suffolk University Poll says voters looking toward the midterm elections are overwhelmingly unhappy with the country’s direction, dissatisfied with its political leadership and interested in electing a Congress that will confront President Trump.
By close to 2- 1, 58%- 32%, those surveyed say they want to elect a Congress that mostly stands up to the president, not one that mostly cooperates with him.
The level of voter unrest is rare at a time of prosperity, when a 55% majority rate the economy as being in a
recovery. Republicans are twice as likely as Democrats to say the economy is growing.
Seven in 10 Republicans say the country is headed in the right direction. More than eight in 10 Democrats say it’s on the wrong track, and seven in 10 independents agree with them.
“I’m concerned about a lot more than my 401( k) here,” says Lisa Caswell, 37, a teacher from Collingswood, N. J.. Of Trump, she says, “It seems like every action he takes is to benefit large corporations or white men and white supremacy. I’m nervous for my kids’ safety in school. I’m nervous for my neighbors’ safety. ... I’m concerned about the safety and well- being of everyone in our country.”
William Dimit, 69, a retired robotics worker from North Canton, Ohio, couldn’t disagree more. “Trump is doing an outstanding job in office,” he says. “Democrats just don’t want anyone in office but themselves.”
The landscape is sure to shift over the next eight months, and Democrats may fail to capitalize.
If the election were held today, though, those surveyed say they would be more likely to vote for the Democratic candidate for Congress than the Republican one by 47%- 32% — a 15 percentage- point advantage. Democrats need to flip 24 seats held by Republicans to gain control of the House of Representatives. Winning Senate control is more difficult in a year when 26 Democratic seats and just eight GOP seats are on the ballot.
“A 15- point lead in the generic ballot — that’s a Democratic House, without a doubt,” says David Wasserman, an analyst with the non- partisan Cook Political Report. “That would be a big wave.”
The consequences of winning the House could be considerable. It would give Democrats the power not only to push their legislative priorities but also to schedule hearings, launch investigations and issue subpoenas.
“Getting a Congress that has the power to impeach Trump would be interesting,” says Nicholas Krasney, 30, a Los Angeles entrepreneur.
Sixty percent of those surveyed say they disapprove of the job Trump is doing as president, his highest negative rating in the USA TODAY Poll since he was inaugurated last year. Thirty- nine percent “strongly” disapprove; just 16% “strongly” approve.
Ratings for the Republican- controlled Congress are even worse: 75% disapprove of the job it is doing. Thirty- six percent “strongly” disapprove, and just 5% “strongly” approve.
That intensity of feeling could affect efforts to persuade voters to go to the polls. Turnout traditionally is lower in midterm elections than in presidential years.
“I always vote, but I’m not that excited about it,” says Chris Coda, 38, a medical device salesman from Elkhorn, Neb., who typically votes Republican. “I think the election will favor the Democrats, so I don’t think my vote will matter all that much.”
Just 27% have a favorable opinion of the GOP, 60% an unfavorable one. The Democratic Party’s favorable- unfavorable rating is 37%- 48%.
Attitudes toward the nation’s two major parties are so dyspeptic that even a share of partisans express a dim view. One in five Republicans and one in five Democrats say they have an unfavorable opinion of their own party. Among independents, half have an unfavorable view of the Democrats; two- thirds have a negative view of the GOP.
Asked to name the most important issue that will affect their vote in November, those surveyed put immigration and border security at the top of the list, followed by gun control and the Second Amendment. In the poll, taken after the mass shooting in Parkland, Fla., school safety is among the top seven issues.