Election disaster looming for Dems
Eight in 10 Americans believe the country is “out of control”, in a devastating verdict on President Joe Biden’s performance with just a week of campaigning left before the midterm elections.
Almost all Republican voters said the US was in chaos and a large majority of independents (88 per cent) agreed, in an ominous sign for Democrats in next week’s elections to decide who runs congress.
Mr Biden defeated Donald Trump on a pledge to “restore the soul of the nation” from political polarisation. However, YouGov polling for CBS News indicates that voters believe the country is as turbulent now as it was at the height of protests unleashed by the murder of George Floyd, when a poll in 2020 found that 80 per cent of Americans believed things in the country were totally out of control. Supporters of the two main parties are split over the cause. Asked to choose between two options, 63 per cent of Democrats said their bigger concern was “a functioning democracy” over “a strong economy” (21 per cent) while the position was reversed among Republicans, with 70 per cent prioritising the economy against 29 for a functioning democracy.
Democrats are horrified at the large number of Republicans who refuse to accept the result of the 2020 election.
Republicans look back at low petrol prices and mortgage rates and blame Mr Biden for 8.2 per cent inflation.
The economy and inflation remain by far the top issues on all voters’ minds, followed by crime – all issues that voters generally credit the Republicans as better at handling.
Fifty-three per cent of Americans believe petrol prices will go up if Democrats keep control of congress and 15 per cent say they will go down, while 21 per cent think prices will go up under Republicans and 45 per cent say they will go down.
Asked which party “makes you feel safer”, 46 per cent said the Republicans, 30 per cent said the Democrats and 24 per cent said neither.