Republicans hold 14-point advantage on which party would do better job on economy: poll

Registered voters trust Republicans to do a better job handling the economy by a 14-point margin over Democrats, according to a new ABC News-Ipsos poll.

The survey found 38 percent of registered voters trust Republicans more on the economy, compared to 24 percent who trust Democrats more, a slight gain for Republicans since the pollster asked the question in early August.

Voters in the new survey also indicate they trust the GOP more to handle crime, immigration and gas prices. Democrats, meanwhile, led on issues like abortion, climate change and gun violence.

When asked about their trust to handle inflation specifically, the GOP’s lead over Democrats expanded to 17 percentage points.

The findings come days after the Labor Department released data showing price gains exceeded expectations in September, with the consumer price index rising 0.4 percent during the month alone and 8.2 percent over the past 12 months.

Annual inflation has eased slightly from when it hit 40-year highs earlier this year, but the report marked the latest sign that price gains are stubbornly persistent. 

After a weeks-long decline, gas prices have also risen since late September, although prices have begun decreasing again over the past two weeks.

Democrats have struggled to break through to voters on the economy as households grapple with increased prices, a substantial factor bolstering Republican chances to gain majorities in the House and Senate in next month’s elections.

The poll released Sunday also found Republican attacks on issues like crime and immigration may be resonating with voters.

Thirty seven percent of registered voters indicated they trust Republicans more on crime, compared to 22 percent who indicated they trust Democrats. Three in 10 voters said they trust neither party.

On immigration, the GOP held a 5-point lead in the poll, with 37 percent of registered voters trusting the party compared to 32 percent for Democrats.

Democrats, however, did record leads with voters’ trust on abortion and climate change.

Forty eight percent of registered voters indicated a greater trust in Democrats to handle abortion, compared to 25 percent who trusted Republicans more.

Democrats have hoped the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade will energize voters in November and counteract the party’s deficits on issues like inflation and crime.

The poll was conducted on Oct. 21 and Oct. 22 with 618 registered voters. The margin of error is 4.2 percentage points.