Key takeaways
- Though both Biden and Congressional Republicans are underwater, Republicans are more in the negative: positives on Biden focus on his handling of Hurricane Ian and pardons for those convicted of marijuana possession, while negatives on Republicans remain focused on abortion.
- Democrats and independents see Republican candidates focused on abortion, though Republicans see their own party as focused on inflation, immigration, and crime.
- Three in five have major concerns about how Republicans in Congress are currently handling their jobs, and majorities say power, self-enrichment, extremism, control, and special interests are among the top motivators of Republican elected officials.
While Biden and Republicans in Congress Are Underwater on Approval, GOP Is More Deeply So
Independents largely disapprove of both, though Republicans in Congress are further underwater (net -51 approval) than Biden is (net -44).
Positives on Biden Include Hurricane Ian Response, Marijuana Pardons; Negatives on GOP Focused on Abortion
Positives on Biden include his visiting of Florida and general response to the damage of Hurricane Ian, whereas Republicans in Congress’ negatives focus on abortion: stripping women’s “rights” and the Herschel Walker abortion scandal in particular
Registered Voters Prefer Democratic-Controlled Senate While Divided Over Parties’ Focus on Right Things
Independents favor Democratic control of the Senate by net 3 points, but do not think either party is focused on the right things (net -10 for the Republican Party, net -21 for the Democratic Party).
Democrats and Independents Say GOP Candidates Focused on Abortion While Republicans Say Inflation, Immigration, Crime
Democrats and independents see Republican candidates for elected office as focused on abortion in their campaigns (though independents also mention “inflation,” “Trump,” and the “economy,” while Democrats also say “immigration”). Republicans say candidates of their party are focused on “inflation,” “immigration,” “crime,” and the “economy.”
Across Party Lines, Americans Agree Democratic Candidates Are Focused on Abortion
Partisans across the aisle see Democratic candidates focused on abortion. Democrats also mention “rights,” “the economy” and “inflation,”; independents mention “inflation” and “immigration”; and Republicans mention “climate change.”
Range of Items Related to Power, Self-Enrichment, Special Interests, Control, and Extremism Seen as Motivating GOP
Independents feel Republicans are most motivated by “doing what corporate special interests want” (67%), “hunger for power” (66%), and “making themselves rich” (62%).
More Than Three in Five Are Concerned By GOP & Say They Are “For the Wealthy,” “Corrupt,” “Dishonest,” “Greedy”
Nearly seven in ten independents (69%) have major concerns about how Republicans in Congress are handling their jobs and are most likely to describe them as “corrupt” (44%), “dishonest” (37%), “greedy” (35%), and “for the wealthy” (31%).
Majorities Continue to Oppose the Actions of January 6th Rioters and Support the House Investigation Into that Day
Independents oppose the actions of Trump supporters by net -54 while supporting the House investigation into what happened by net +24.
A Plurality of Americans Believe Their Side Has Been Losing, Though a Majority of Democrats Say Their Side Is Winning
By a 24-point margin (53% to 29%), Democrats say their side has been winning more than losing over the last few years; by contrast, a large majority of Republicans (61%) feel their side has been losing.
