A strong majority of voters believe that President Donald Trump is falling short at home and abroad. They want major change in the upcoming midterm elections, according to a poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
The survey took place less than four weeks before Election Day. Registered voters who identify as Democrats are more enthusiastic than Republicans about casting a ballot. More voters want Democrats to win control of Congress and hold a more negative view of Republicans.
About 8 in 10 voters overall say the economy or the cost of living is among their top issues for the upcoming election. About two-thirds say this about health care and the war in Iran. Other issues that traditionally favour Trump, like immigration or crime, are lower priorities for the electorate.
"The world is going backwards. We can barely afford anything," said Diana Walker, a 65-year-old Democrat from Decatur, Georgia. "Everybody’s down. I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or Republican, we’re all catching hell."
About two-thirds of registered voters say it is extremely important to vote in the upcoming election. About three-quarters of Democratic voters say that voting in the November midterms is extremely important, compared with roughly 6 in 10 Republicans.
Republicans have controlled Congress for the past two years. However, about half of registered voters now say they would prefer to see the Democratic Party control the House or the Senate. A smaller percentage, roughly 4 in 10, want the Republican Party to retain control of each chamber, while 15 percent remain undecided.
Voters want change on the eve of the midterms. About half of voters say they want substantial change, and roughly 3 in 10 want complete and total upheaval in the way the country is run.
Only about one-third of registered voters overall have a favourable view of the Republican president, and a similar share approve of his performance. Nearly two years after his successful election, about 8 in 10 registered voters disapprove of how Trump is handling the cost of living. About three-quarters disapprove of his performance on the economy.
There are cracks in Trump’s Republican base on other issues as well. Just 69 percent of Republican voters support Trump on foreign policy as the war in Iran stretches into its eighth month, despite his initial promises that the conflict would last only four or five weeks.
"Everything’s going up," said DonnaJean Weber, a 72-year-old Republican from Manistee, Michigan, who pointed to the impact of the war with Iran and tariffs. "I don’t agree with him fully on all of these tariffs, either. It’s making this country look bad."
The AP-NORC poll surveyed 1,119 adults, including 925 registered voters, between October 8 and October 12 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel.
