Poll: Voters prefer Democrats take control of the House

(CN) — Voters would prefer Democrats win control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the midterms, a recent Quinnipiac University poll found.

According to a nationwide survey of 1,106 registered voters, the results of which were released Wednesday, 50% of voters would want Democrats to take control of the House if the election were held today, while 39% would want to see Republicans win control of the House. Eleven percent did not give an opinion.

This comes as Democrats have faced setbacks in a nationwide redistricting battle. Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to overturn a Virginia Supreme Court ruling that struck down a new voter-approved map of Virginia congressional districts that favored Democrats for all but one of the state’s House seats. Meanwhile, a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that strictly limited how racial discrimination can be remedied in redistricting maps has provided grounds for several Republican-led states to move to redraw their maps.

But while voters may prefer a Democratic victory, the Quinnipiac poll found they give Democrats in Congress a low approval rating for the work they are currently doing. Just 20% of voters said they approve of the way congressional Democrats are handling their job, while 72% disapproved. Among Democratic voters, 41% approved and 50% disapproved.

Fifty percent of voters said Democrats in Congress should be doing more to oppose President Donald Trump, while 42% felt they should do more to work with him. Among Democrats, 93% felt congressional Democrats should be doing more to stand up to Trump.

“Democrats to the legislators they elected: You may be polling as the party of choice to rule the House, but it’s time to take off the gloves and take the president to task,” Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy said in a report on the survey results.

Meanwhile, the poll found 34% of voters approve of the job Trump is doing as president, while 58% disapprove — the lowest approval rating of Trump’s second term. More than two months into Trump’s war with Iran, which has caused a spike in oil prices, 64% of voters disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy, while just 33% approve. This is the lowest approval rating Trump has received on that issue in either of his two terms.

Among Republicans, 73% approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, while 24% disapprove. This is a notable drop from last month, when a Quinnipiac poll found that Republican approval of Trump’s economic performance was 88%, with just 9% disapproving.

“What was perhaps the signature issue that propelled Trump to winning two elections sours with voters and cracks form in GOP enthusiasm for his handling of the economy,” Malloy said.