WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th October, 2022) Republicans have gained a narrow advantage in the weeks before the US midterm elections, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll released Monday.
The poll found that 49% of prospective voters intended to choose a Republican congressional representative, representing four percentage points more than those who intended to vote for Democrats and a narrower gap than the one point seen in September.
Adding to Republican momentum, amid a steady decline in the stock market and an increase in inflation, the percentage of prospective voters citing economic concerns as most important increased from 36% in July to 44%. Those most concerned about the economy planned to vote Republican by more than a two-to-one margin.
The poll also found that Republicans have a 10-percentage-point lead among independent voters, a notable shift from the Democrats' three-point lead in September.
All this underscores that the Democratic Party is in a precarious position, which currently holds a slim House majority and half of the Senate. The poll also found that 45% of prospective voters strongly disapprove of US President Joe Biden's performance, with 90% of this group planning to vote Republican.
The poll of 792 likely voters was conducted across the country from October 9 to 12.
