Dem senators in states won by Trump see high approval numbers

Three Democratic senators facing reelection bids in 2018 in states won by President Trump last year are maintaining high approval ratings, according to Morning Consult polling released Tuesday.

Sens. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) saw their approval ratings inch above 50 percent in their respective states in the third quarter of 2017.

Both major parties have expressed optimism heading into the 2018 midterm elections. Democrats are hopeful they can pick up seats in Congress, while Republicans are seeking to pad their majority. Heitkamp, Manchin and Tester are among the Senate seats considered most likely to flip.

In North Dakota, 55 percent of voters approve of Heitkamp, and 32 percent disapprove. The margin of error in the poll is plus or minus 4 percentage points.

In West Virginia, polling showed Manchin with a 53 percent approval rating, while 36 percent disapprove. The margin of error in that poll is plus or minus 2 percentage points.

While Heitkamp and Manchin saw their approval numbers drop slightly in the third quarter of 2017, Tester saw his rise by 3 percentage points. The latest polling shows 53 percent of voters approve of him, and 33 percent disapprove. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.

In all three states, at least half of voters approved of President Trump, according to Morning Consult’s latest polling.

A pair of other Democratic senators facing reelection in 2018 in states that went to Trump in 2016 could be facing longer odds.

Half of those polled approve of Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and only 42 percent approve of Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.).