Congressional Democrats are trailing Republicans on the generic ballot in battleground districts by 8 points, according to internal polling from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).
The polling, which was conducted in April, showed generic Republicans leading generic Democrats 47 percent to 39 percent.
Punchbowl News was the first outlet to report on the polling, which was confirmed to The Hill by the DCCC.
The findings are an ominous sign for Democrats, who are already facing headwinds going into November’s midterm elections. The party is grappling with issues like high inflation as well as the historical precedent of a first-term president’s party typically losing seats in Congress during the midterm election cycle.
However, Democrats point to other findings within the survey, which they say paint a brighter picture for the party. According to the survey, DCCC front-line members are running 5 points ahead of the generic, unnamed Democrat. Additionally, the polling shows that the average approval rating for front-line Democrats is 21.8 points over President Biden’s approval.
On top of that, Democrats point to the poll being conducted in April, which was before the draft Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked. Democrats are advising their candidates to run on the issue, warning that Republicans are aiming to criminalize abortion.
In a statement to The Hill, the DCCC painted GOP House candidates as extremists.
“Frontline Democrats’ record of delivering for their communities means they head into November ready to defeat extremist MAGA Republicans, who will have to defend their plan to implement a nationwide abortion ban and their embrace of white supremacist ‘great replacement’ theories,” said DCCC spokesperson Chris Taylor.
According to the Real Clear Politics polling average, Republicans lead by 2.6 points on the generic ballot.