President Donald Trump and the Republican Party are doing better than the mainstream media would have you believe. The latest polling numbers for Politico via the polling firm Morning Consult show that Trump's approval rating is higher than often reported and that the GOP is currently leading the Democrats when voters are asked whether they would back the Democrat or Republican in their congressional district:
Fully 39 percent of registered voters say they would support the GOP candidate for Congress in their district, while 38 percent would back the Democratic candidate. Nearly a quarter of voters, 23 percent, are undecided.
Voters are split almost evenly along party lines. Democratic voters break for their party, 85 percent to 5 percent, while Republicans similarly favor the GOP, 84 percent to 8 percent. Among independent voters, 26 percent would vote for the Democrat, 25 percent for the Republican and nearly half, 49 percent, are undecided.
Recent polls from Morning Consult have put the lead for Democrats at between 2 and 10 percent. The lead for the GOP comes as a result of softening support for the Democrats. On the issue of President Trump's approval rating, just shy of half of Americans say they give the president a thumbs up:
The new year has also produced a Trump polling bump. In the new poll, 47 percent of voters approve of the job Trump is doing as president, while the same percentage disapprove.
Among Democrats, 16 percent approve of Trump’s job performance and 80 percent disapprove. The numbers are almost exactly inverted among Republicans: 82 percent approve, while 16 percent disapprove. Trump is still underwater among independents: 39 percent approve and 49 percent disapprove.
The poll also shows that Americans have started to trust the Republicans on a key issue, the economy. In December 39% of voters told Morning Consult that they trusted the Democrats on the economy while 38% trusted Republicans but now 42% trust the GOP on the economy while just 32% say the Democrats have the best answers on that file.