Democrats’ advantage on generic ballot narrow: Survey

A Reuters/Ipsos survey released on the eve of the US midterm elections found Democrats ahead of Republicans on the generic congressional ballot, but by a smaller margin than in the previous week’s poll. Among registered voters, 46% said they would support a Democratic candidate and 38% a Republican, an eight-point lead compared with 11 points a week earlier. The survey still points to a Democratic advantage as voters choose the next Congress; a national poll cannot establish the outcome in individual districts.

The pollster reported a 52% to 44% Democratic lead among likely voters who had chosen or leaned towards a party. President Donald Trump’s approval rating stood at 32%. The survey was conducted from 29 October to 2 November among 1,765 US adults. Its stated sampling error of 2.4 percentage points applies to the full adult sample; uncertainty is greater for smaller groups, including the voter groups used for the ballot figures.