Poll: GOP gains on generic ballot, Trump approval ticks upward
By STEVEN SHEPARD 02/14/2018 05:40 AM EST
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/14/trump-polling-democrats-republicans-407315
Republicans have erased the Democratic advantage on the generic congressional ballot in a new POLITICO/
Morning Consult poll that, for the first time since April, also shows President Donald Trump’s approval rating
equaling the percentage of voters who disapprove of his job performance.

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.

The GOP’s 1-point advantage comes after three months of tracking in which Democrats maintained a lead
ranging between 2 and 10 points on the generic ballot. That has been generally smaller than the party’s lead
in other public surveys: The most recent RealClearPolitics average shows Democrats ahead by 7 points on
the generic ballot, though that’s down from a high of 13 points late last year.

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.