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.
An expanded version of this report appears at WSJ.com.
