Poll: Voters Prefer Republican Congressional Candidates Over Democrats By Eight Percent

Voters prefer Republican congressional candidates to Democratic ones by eight percentage points, a poll released Sunday found.

Forty-six percent of registered voters prefer a generic Republican in their local congressional race, compared to 38% who prefer a generic Democrat, according to the poll conducted by USA TODAY and Suffolk University from Nov. 3 to Nov. 5. Pollsters surveyed 1,000 registered voters, for a margin of error of 3.1%.

Americans gave low marks for Congress as a whole, with the institution holding a meager 12% approval rating, compared to 75% disapproval. Congressional Republicans received a 35% approval rating, and congressional Democrats were at 29%. USA TODAY and Suffolk University concluded the poll before the House of Representatives passed the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) late Friday night. (RELATED: Here Are The 13 House Republicans Who Voted For Biden’s Infrastructure Bill)

USA Today/Suffolk poll: R+8 on generic ballot.

“If the election were today, those surveyed said they would vote for their local Republican congressional candidate over the Democratic one by 46%-38%” https://t.co/gkhe7AVGFN

— Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) November 7, 2021

Sixty-one percent of individuals polled supported the IIJA, including one-third of Republicans. Democrats like Virginia Sen. Mark Warner cited the bill’s passage as crucial for the party’s chances in the 2022 midterms. Warner blamed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe’s loss in his home state on the Democrats’ intraparty negotiations over the package, which lasted more than four months.

The poll also found that only 38% of Americans approve of President Joe Biden’s performance in office, while 59% disapprove.

Biden should not expect to receive a major boost from the Build Back Better social spending package, according to the poll. Only 47% of Americans support that bill, while 44% disapprove.