"Which Party Do You Want to Control Congress?"... U.S. Democrats Lead by 7 Percentage Points

Ahead of the U.S. midterm elections, a public opinion poll showed that the Democratic Party leads the Republican Party by 7 percentage points in preference for which party should hold a majority in Congress.

According to a poll released by NBC News on November 1 (local time), 52 percent of respondents said they want the Democrats to control Congress, while 45 percent favored Republican control.

The Democrats' lead widened by 2 percentage points compared to last month's survey.

Notably, among independent voters, the Democrats led the Republicans by 21 percentage points.

Negative evaluations of U.S. President Donald Trump's job performance stood at 60 percent, significantly surpassing the 40 percent positive evaluation.

The 60 percent negative rating is the highest recorded in NBC polls across both of President Trump's terms in office.

About three-quarters of voters expressed dissatisfaction with the current U.S. economic situation.

Additionally, 64 percent answered that President Trump failed to meet their expectations, while 34 percent said he lived up to them.

Respondents saying the United States is heading in the wrong direction also reached 70 percent.

When asked which party would handle inflation better, the Democrats edged out the Republicans by 1 percentage point.

While the Republicans held a 2-point advantage on the economy overall, the gap has shrunk significantly compared to the double-digit margins seen in recent years.

However, voters' evaluations of the Democratic Party itself remained unfavorable.

Respondents holding a favorable view of the Democrats stood at 29 percent, lower than the 38 percent for the Republicans.

Even among voters who want the Democrats to control Congress, a considerable number indicated they were choosing the Democrats out of opposition to the Republicans rather than active support for the Democratic Party.

The Republicans also maintained strength among their core supporters.

Republicans led in congressional election support in districts with incumbent Republican lawmakers and in states where President Trump won the 2024 presidential election.

In particular, President Trump recorded a 93 percent positive approval rating for his job performance among Republicans who support the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement.

On the other hand, among Republicans who do not define themselves as part of the MAGA faction, 54 percent gave a positive evaluation and 46 percent gave a negative one.

The NBC News poll was conducted among 1,000 registered voters from October 28 to 30, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

(Photo: Getty Images)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.