By Laurel Duggan
Americans favor the Republican Party to the Democratic Party by a five point margin, bucking longstanding trends, a Gallup poll released Monday found.
Neither party was viewed favorably by a majority of voters, but 44% of voters had positive views of the Republican Party compared to 39% for the Democrats, the poll found. While Republicans were behind Democrats by three points a year ago, the GOP is leading Democrats in favorability on issues such as the economy and handling of terrorism and threats.
Most voters (57%) thought Republicans would do a better job of protecting the country from international terrorism and military threats, the poll found, compared to 37% for Democrats. Respondents also thought Republicans would do a better job at keeping the country prosperous at 51% to 47%.
While Republicans have typically had lower ratings than Democrats, the Democratic Party’s current approval rating is 12 points below its average since 1992, while the GOP’s ratings are close to its average, according to Gallup. Approximately 85% of both Republicans and Democrats view their own parties favorably.
The poll serves as a warning to Democrats, who typically lead over Republicans for national popularity and positive image, according to Gallup. Economic woes under the Biden administration, including inflation and a possible recession, may be chipping away at Democrats’ midterm prospects.
Previous polling has found that most voters trust Republicans, rather than Democrats, to manage the economy. Other polls have found that inflation and other economics are the leading concerns for American voters.
The survey polled 812 adults Sept. 1-16 with a margin of error of plus or minus 4%.
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