Economic Concerns Losing Ground in Latest Poll

We are 79 days away from the midterm elections and things are a-changin’. A new NBC News poll finds that the economy is no longer the top singular issue that voters care about as the summer comes to a close…(NBC News)

• The top singular issue was “threats to democracy” at 21%

• The economy still comes in at number one with a cumulative score of 30% when you combine the cost of living (16%) and jobs and the economy (14%) which are 2 and 3, respectively.

Good news all around. The good news for the GOP is they did gain ground on the generic ballot in August. Republicans now have a two-point edge, 47%-45%, in August compared to the 46% tie in May. However, the good news for Democrats is they are closing in on the enthusiasm gap with 66% of Democrats now expressing a high level of interest in the upcoming election, only two points behind Republican voters. This is quite the improvement compared to May’s eight-point deficit in May.

Unpopular presidents. The bad news for both parties is their presumptive nominees for both parties are deeply underwater. Current President Joe Biden has an approval rating of 40% with a disapproval rating of 48%. Former President Donald Trump had an approval rating of 46% with a disapproval of 54%.

• NOTE: Joe Biden’s official approval rating as president is slightly higher at 42% and his disapproval rating is higher as well at 55%.

Interesting. Abortion is getting a lot of attention because of the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v Wade earlier this summer. However, the issue itself actually lost some ground from May till August. If you remember, the Dobbs decision was leaked in early May which jumped the issue up to 10% in the May poll. However, in August, the issue has falling back down to 8% with immigration (13%) and climate change (9%) now seen as more important issues to voters.