Republicans hold 10-point advantage on generic midterm ballot: poll

Republicans are building a growing advantage on the generic midterm ballot ahead of next year’s midterms, according to a new CNBC All-America Economic survey.

The GOP has a 10-point edge over Democrats among Americans polled, 44 percent to 34 percent. That’s up from a 2-point advantage from the same survey in October.

The survey, which was reviewed by The Hill, marks the first time the GOP has ever enjoyed a double-digit lead on the question in a CNBC or NBC poll. It is in line with other polls showing Democrats losing on the generic ballot, though few have shown so large a Republican lead.

The poll is the latest alarm bell for Democrats, who are facing a midterm cycle that is expected to overwhelmingly favor the GOP. Republicans have already boasted that they’ll flip the House, which Democrats narrowly control, and that the party’s chances of winning the Senate are on the rise.

The headwinds for Democrats are fueled by low approval ratings for President Biden, who is grappling with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, inflation and continued criticism over the bloody withdrawal from Afghanistan.

In the poll, Biden’s approval rating stands at 41 percent, compared with 50 percent of Americans who have an unfavorable view of him. On his handling of the coronavirus specifically, 46 percent of Americans approve of the job he’s doing, compared with 48 percent who disapprove, the first time he’s been underwater on the question in the CNBC poll.

“If the election were tomorrow, it would be an absolute unmitigated disaster for the Democrats,″ Jay Campbell, the Democratic pollster for the survey, told CNBC. 

The CNBC All-America Economic survey polled 800 adults from Dec. 1-4 and has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.