Economic issues top voters’ concerns ahead of midterms: poll

Economic issues topped the list of things that voters are concerned about, according to a new Politico-Morning Consult poll.

Forty-one percent of registered voters polled said economic issues, including wages and taxes, are their top set of issues as they cast their vote for federal offices. Thirteen percent said security was their top issue, while another 11 percent each named seniors and women’s issues.

With the midterm elections less than six months away, voters indicated a slight preference toward voting for Democrats in this year’s congressional elections. Forty-five percent of respondents said they would vote for the Democratic candidate compared to 41 percent favoring a Republican candidate.

But Democrats, who are fighting to save their ultra-narrow majorities in the House and Senate this year, have struggled to combat Republican messaging on economic issues as the country continues to face the highest rate of inflation in decades. Consumer prices climbed 8.3 percent in April compared with a year earlier, marking the fastest increase in roughly 40 years.

Forty-seven percent of voters said they trust Republicans in Congress to handle the economy more than Democrats, who earned the trust of 36 percent of respondents.

The poll also reported voters were more likely to trust Republicans on economic issues like inflation and jobs. Voters polled said they trusted Republicans more on those issues by 11 points and 4 points, respectively.

Seventy percent of respondents said it was more important for the government to address the economy over the spread of the coronavirus. Even as reported daily cases have risen to more than 100,000, reducing the virus’ spread was seen as a bigger priority by just 25 percent of voters.

The poll was conducted May 20-22 and reached 2,005 registered voters. The margin of error is 2 percentage points.