Heading into the final weeks of the midterm election campaign, the American electorates' preferences are nearly evenly divided, a new Pew Research Center poll found.
Forty-one percent say they favor the Democratic candidates in their districts, while a nearly identical percentage (40%) support Republican candidates. Eighteen percent expressed uncertainty how they will vote or favor candidates other than Republicans or Democrats.
What do voters care about most?
There has been little change in voters’ priorities in recent months.
The survey, conducted Oct. 10 to 16, 2022, found that economic inflation remained top issue for US voters, with 79% stating it will be very important to their voting decisions.
Another notable issue, according to the more than 5,000 American adults polled, is abortion.
What else did the survey find?
Currently, 38% of adults approve of Joe Biden’s job performance, while 59% disapprove. Biden’s approval rating is identical to Donald Trump’s at a comparable point in his presidency. It is lower than those of other recent presidents.
Furthermore, Republican and Democratic voters expect their parties will be successful after the Nov. 8 election, which is typically the case pre-election. However, Republicans are more optimistic than Democrats: 88% of those who support Republican candidates say their party will win a majority in the House, while 86% expect the GOP to gain a majority in the Senate. Among voters who favor Democratic candidates, 69% say their party will retain their House majority and somewhat more (74%) expect Democrats to retain control of the Senate.