New poll shows Democrats ahead of Republicans ahead of midterms
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A recent New York Times and Siena University poll finds Democrats leading Republicans by 11 points nationally, with advantages on health care, cost of living, foreign wars and AI.
A poll released Wednesday by The New York Times and Siena University shows Democrats ahead of Republicans by 11 points among likely voters ahead of the November midterms, underscoring how badly Republicans are floundering with the public. The survey of 3,494 respondents conducted Oct. 12-19 indicates 52% of likely voters would choose a Democrat to represent their congressional district versus 41% for a Republican.
On policy issues, 57% of respondents said they trust Democrats more on health care, compared with 37% for Republicans. The poll also found Democrats leading on cost of living (55% to 40%) and on handling foreign wars (a 10-point gap). Regarding artificial intelligence, 48% preferred Democrats to address potential threats versus 37% for Republicans.
"My, how things have changed in two years," host Joe Scarborough said on “Morning Joe,” describing the shift.
"Republicans gave tax cuts to billionaires so they could cut health care in rural America," he added, referencing President Donald Trump’s recent legislation.
"Trump can’t get out of the war he started in Iran, even though he was warned by everybody not to go into Iran," Scarborough said, linking the foreign-policy gap to the incumbent president.
"He just says he’s not going to do anything about the most challenging, most hopeful, but also the most dangerous technology of our lifetime," he said about AI policy.
Scarborough noted that the poll reflects a reversal from 2024, when the president’s campaign attracted a broad coalition, before the backlash set in. The poll’s margin of sampling error is plus or minus 1.9 percentage points.