The results from a new poll could spell some trouble for Republicans confident in taking back Congress next year. Despite reports that Republican victory is all but assured a poll by USA Today-Suffolk University reveals that some Republicans have not made up their minds about the 2022 midterms yet.
According to The Washington Examiner:
The poll found Democrats leading Republicans on a generic ballot 39% to 37%, within the poll’s margin of error of 3.1 percentage points but a significant drop from Republicans’ 8-point lead in the same poll in November.
But according to the poll, Republicans aren’t necessarily losing support in favor of Democrats — rather, a growing share of Republicans said they were undecided. The poll found undecided voters grew to 24%, up from 16% in November.
The poll found Biden’s approval rating at 40%, a separate red flag for Democrats seeking to maintain congressional majorities.
Voters are also conflicted regarding Biden’s Build Back Better Act, a sweeping social spending bill currently stalled in the Senate. The legislation includes key portions of Biden’s domestic agenda. The bill was passed by the House last year after months of negotiations between centrist and progressive Democrats. But Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin objected to the size and scope of the bill during those negotiations, and soon after the House-passed bill’s arrival in the Senate, Manchin said he could not support it. Democrats do not have enough votes for the bill to pass without Manchin’s support.
However, Democrats have attempted to appeal to Manchin and urge him to change his position on Build Back Better but so far he’s refused to engage in negotiations about the bill.