The bad news just keeps piling up for the Democrats, and it’s hard to imagine how they dig themselves out of the hole they’ve put themselves into. According to a new Gallup poll, the GOP has surged to its strongest position on the economy in more than three decades, with 53% of Americans expressing greater trust in Republicans than Democrats on the issue. Only 39% of Americans believe that Democrats are better at handling the economy — a significant 14-point lead for the GOP.
This also marks a 10-point increase in the GOP’s economic standing over last year and represents the largest advantage the Republican Party has experienced since 1991. This comes on the heels of an NBC poll which found that Republicans have a 21-point edge over Democrats on the economy and that only 28% of Americans claim they’re “very” or “somewhat” satisfied with the state of the economy.
In addition to the Republican Party’s advantage on the economy, Gallup found that Republicans also enjoy a substantial 22-point lead over Democrats on the issue of national security. According to the poll, a mere 35% of Americans believe that Democrats do “a better job of protecting the country from international terrorism and military threats.”
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The Gallup survey also indicates that a higher proportion of Americans trust Republicans over Democrats to address the problem they consider the most important facing the country, with a margin of 44% to 36%, respectively.
“Although Republicans periodically enjoyed strong leads on this party preference measure between the 1940s and 1980s, today’s eight-point advantage for the Republicans is fairly uncommon in the context of the trend since 1992,” explains Gallup. “In addition to its 11-point advantage last year, those exceptions include a seven-point lead for the GOP in 2011 and a slight edge in 2015 and 2016.”
What really makes this devastating news for Joe Biden and the Democrats is that while Republicans and Democrats tend to have favorable views of their respective parties, the crucial shift is among independent voters, who are now tipping the scales in favor of the Republicans when it comes to both the economy and national security.
“Barely a third of independents prefer the Democratic Party on these measures, while more than half choose the Republican Party,” explains Gallup. “However, further boosting the Republicans’ advantages, slightly more Democrats than Republicans say the opposing party is better for handling both issues, particularly for maintaining the nation’s security from military threats and terrorism.”
There’s no doubt that Americans presently recognize that Republicans are better suited to address the critical issues that affect them and that this could have a positive impact on the upcoming elections next year. However, this is no reason to get cocky. Trends can change within a year. That said, experts predict that a recession is coming next year, or potentially as early as later this year, so it’s not looking great for Biden and the Democrats to turn things around before the election.