Democrats hold 5-point edge over GOP ahead of midterms: Poll

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A plurality of respondents to a recent NBC News survey said they want Democrats to win back control of Congress, with less than five months before the midterms.

The poll, conducted from May 29 through June 7, found that 49 percent of 2,400 registered voters want Democrats to control Congress after the November elections. Forty-four percent said they want Republicans to maintain control of the legislative branch, while 7 percent of respondents were undecided.

A poll that NBC News conducted in March found that half of respondents wanted Democrats to win back control of Congress, while 44 percent wanted the GOP to keep its dual majorities and 6 percent were unsure. Neither party has had more than an 8-point lead on the subject in NBC News polling dating back to October 2018.

The latest NBC News poll, which was sponsored by More Perfect, had a margin of error of 2 percentage points.

Democrats are narrowly in the minority in the Senate and House and are looking to flip both chambers of Congress for the first time in two decades.

In order to do so, the party will need to flip four Senate seats held by Republicans. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates one of the seats, held by retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) as leaning in favor of Democratic nominee Roy Cooper, the former governor of North Carolina.

The CPR, meanwhile, rates two races as toss ups: Sen. Susan Collins’s (R-Maine) bid for a sixth term in the upper chamber and Sen. Jon Husted’s (R-Ohio) attempt to get elected to a full term — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) appointed him to succeed Vice President Vance in 2025.

Democrats are also optimistic about their chances in the Alaska and Texas Senate races, despite the CPR rating both as GOP leans.

Over in the House, a monthslong redistricting battle has resulted in Republicans having the chance to net nine additional seats. But of the 18 seats the CPR rates as toss ups, 14 are held by the GOP already.

With Republicans holding a slim 218-212 majority — and independent Rep. Kevin Kiley (Calif.) caucusing with the GOP — control of the lower chamber is still up for grabs.

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JD Vance

Jon Husted

Kevin Kiley

Mike DeWine

Roy Cooper

Susan Collins

Thom Tillis

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