America on the Wrong Track, Say 70%

A new George Washington University poll shows that an overwhelming number of Americans believe that the economy is on the wrong track.

The poll, conducted in partnership with The Tarrance Group and Lake Research Partners, found that the economy weighs more heavily on the minds of American voters than gridlock in Washington. Twenty-four percent of likely voters say the economy is most likely to drive their pick for Congress, outscoring feelings about their member of Congress, President Obama, or the president’s Affordable Care Act.

When weighing party choices on economic issues, the Republican Party holds a 7-point advantage with 49 percent of voters expressing more confidence in its ability to find solutions. The GOP also holds an edge on a generic congressional ballot, 46 to 42 percent.

“Republicans hold a 4-point advantage on the generic congressional ballot. In states with a competitive Senate race, Republicans hold a 16-point advantage (52 to 36 percent) on this generic ballot,” said Ed Goeas, president and CEO of The Tarrance Group. “Republicans are getting stronger support on the generic ballot from ‘hard’ Republicans (93 percent) than Democrats are getting from ‘hard’ Democrats (89 percent) and ‘soft’ Republicans are voting a net 16 points stronger for the generic Republican on the ballot than ‘soft’ Democrats are voting for the generic Democrat. All of these measures exceed where the GOP was at this point in the 2010 cycle. By any measure, Republicans are fired up and ready to deliver victories to their candidates in November, with the strong backing of independent (by 15 points) and middle-class voters (by 11 points).”