According to the newest Politico-Morning Consult poll, Democrats are now leading Republicans by 5 points on the generic congressional ballot.
The survey, released Wednesday, found that 47 percent of registered voters said they would vote for the Democratic candidate if the midterm elections were held today, compared to 42 percent who would support a Republican.
The poll shows a shift in voters’ preferences. In recent weeks, Republicans had appeared to make gains as gas prices began rising again and the release of worse-than-expected inflation reports.
A New York Times-Siena College poll taken between Oct. 9 and Oct. 12 found Republicans held a 4-point advantage on the generic ballot among likely voters, with 49 percent supporting Republicans compared to 45 percent support for Democrats.
Last week, a survey showed Democrats led the generic ballot by just 1 point, garnering 45 percent support to Republicans’ 44 percent.
Republicans are seen as heavily favored to take control of the House in next month’s elections, while Democrats are poised to keep control of the Senate.
However, some experts believe Democrats may keep control of both chambers of Congress amid rifts in the Republican party, with GOP leader Mitch McConnell refusing to support Trump-endorsed candidates.
Meanwhile, many pollsters say the majority is likely to be determined by a handful of close races, pointing out that slight leads often fall within their polls’ margin of error, suggesting either party could take control of Congress.
The Politico-Morning Consult poll was taken between Oct. 21-23 through interviews with 2,005 registered voters. The margin of error is plus or minus 2 percentage points.
