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The Democratic Party’s political advantage has grown in the home stretch of the midterm campaign, powered by strong support among women and a majority looking for a change from President Trump’s course, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll has found.
Less than two months before Election Day, 52% of registered voters said they would prefer Democrats to control Congress, while 40% preferred Republican control. That 12-point lead expanded from an 8-point Democratic edge in August.
The poll, while outlining challenges for the GOP, included some good news for Republicans. The party is closing an enthusiasm gap, with 61% of Republican voters now expressing high interest in the election, nearly matching the 65% of Democrats. In polls taken over the first eight months of the year, Democrats had held an aggregate 12-point advantage in the share of supporters showing high interest in the election.
The Democratic lead on voter preference for control of Congress is the largest in Journal/NBC polling since Trump took office. It reflects gains for the party among white, working-class women, as well as among suburban voters and other groups that had been more favorable to the GOP in the past.