GOP leads in generic congressional vote by 2 points: WSJ poll

Republicans lead Democrats by 2 points on a generic congressional vote with Election Day just a week away, according to a new survey.

A Wall Street Journal poll released Tuesday found that 46 percent of registered voters would vote for a GOP congressional candidate if the election were held today, and 44 percent would vote for a Democratic candidate.

The GOP lead is within the margin of error, but an improvement for the party from the Journal’s August poll, which found Democrats leading by 3 points.

Pollsters found that abortion seems to have become less of a problem than it was during the summer. Democrats began closing a gap with Republicans in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in June, but inflation and economic concerns remained the main problems that voters list in the polls leading to the midterms.

“The focus on economic things, especially inflation, is helping the GOP down the stretch,” said GOP pollster Tony Fabrizio, who conducted the poll along with Democratic pollster John Anzalone.

Nearly half of all voters said they believe congressional Republicans can better control inflation, while only a quarter said congressional Democrats are better able to do so.

The poll also found that Republicans are more enthusiastic about voting than Democrats.

The Journal reported that the GOP also saw an improvement in its standing among Latino voters and women.

Republicans led among white suburban women by 15 points, a 26-point shift from Democrats from the August poll the Journal conducted.

Democrats are trying to avoid a historic trend that sees the president’s party usually lose seats in Congress during midterm elections. Republicans need to gain a few seats in the House and one seat in the Senate to take control of each body.

The survey was conducted from October 22 to 26 among 1,500 registered voters. The margin of error was 2.5 percentage points.