Voting (Kyodo News)
Republicans are winning over late-deciding voters by 9 percentage points in seven battleground Senate races, according to a new poll suggesting the GOP is gaining momentum ahead of Tuesday’s midterm elections.
The New York Times/Siena University surveyreleased Sunday, found that voters who made their choices within the past month favored Republican candidates, even as Democrats maintained leads in six of the seven contests.
“There are still some undecided voters, and voters who decided only in the last month favored Republicans by a nine-point margin,” the Times reported.
The findings offer Republicans an encouraging sign heading into Election Day, although Democrats continue to hold advantages in several races that could determine control of the Senate.
According to the Times/Siena poll, Democrats lead by 11 points in Michigan, 7 points in Texas, 6 points in Maine, and 5 points each in Ohio and Kansas.
In Alaska, Democrat Mary Peltola leads Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan by 2 points, while Iowa’s Senate race remains effectively tied, the survey found.
Despite the GOP’s advantage among late-deciding voters, all seven Democrat candidates were viewed more favorably by independents than their Republican opponents.
Republicans have hammered Democrats over social issues and accusations of embracing socialism, while Democrats have attacked President Donald Trump’s handling of the economy and the Iran conflict.
The polling comes amid developments in two closely watched Senate races.
In Michigan, Democrat Rep. Haley Stevens stunned her party Sunday by endorsing Republican Mike Rogers over Democrat nominee Abdul El-Sayed, who defeated her in the August primary.
The surprise endorsement sparked backlash from Democrats and added uncertainty to a race considered critical to the party’s hopes of winning Senate control.
In Alaska, the Times reported Wednesday that operatives allegedly linked to Peltola’s campaign recruited a candidate whose name resembles Sullivan’s to siphon votes from the Republican incumbent.
Peltola’s campaign denied involvement, and the allegations sparked a legal dispute involving the Trump administration.
The Times said its Alaska polling was largely completed before the allegations surfaced, meaning any political fallout may not be reflected in the results.
The survey also found that every Democrat candidate except Peltola improved their standing against their Republican opponent compared with the previous Times/Siena poll.
However, the Times cautioned that polling errors remain a concern, particularly among working-class white voters.
“Blue-collar white workers have proved particularly hard to reach in polls, and polling error has previously been among the highest in that demographic,” the Times reported.
The poll was conducted Oct. 23 to Nov. 1 and surveyed 5,708 voters, with margins of error ranging from plus or minus 3.3 percentage points in Texas to plus or minus 4.8 percentage points in Alaska.
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Source: www.yahoo.com
