Voter interest is at an all-time high for a midterm election, a new NBC News poll finds, with 80% of Democrats and Republicans saying the other side is a threat to destroy America as we know it.
In addition, the poll indicates it will be a competitive contest in November.
Bottom line: This election is expected to break the record for midterm ballots cast set four years ago when Donald Trump occupied the White House.
“We know that many voters will be casting ballots with anger on their minds. We just don’t know which side will be angrier,” said Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research Associates. “It seems like voters are no longer looking for a ‘Contract with America.’ They want a divorce.”
Horwitt conducted the survey with Republican Bill McInturff and his team at Public Opinion Strategies.
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Poll Highlights
According to the poll, 47% of registered voters say they prefer Democrats to control Congress, while 46% want a Republican-controlled Congress — essentially unchanged from last month when the parties were tied at 46%.
Other poll highlights:
- 70% of registered voters expressed high interest in the election — either a “9” or a “10” on a 10-point scale.
- 78% of Republicans have high interest in the midterms, compared with 69% of Democrats.
- The 9-point GOP enthusiasm edge is up from September (when it was plus-3).
- 45% of registered voters approve of President Joe Biden’s job performance, while 52% disapprove. That’s unchanged from September.
- 71% say the country is headed in the wrong direction, compared with 20% who say it’s on the right track.
“These are really difficult numbers for Democrats, and they have had them for months,” said McInturff, the Republican pollster, about the 7-in-10 voters who believe America is off track.
Read more at this NBC News link.
