NBC News reports on the upcoming midterm elections and whether Democrats will be able to flip the House and Senate. Steve Kornacki, chief data analyst for NBC News, broke down how the political field is looking so far.
He explained that President Donald Trump lies at a 41% approval rating, which is down two percentage points at this same time during his first term. Much of this is because of his handling of certain issues, which all have low approval ratings individually: immigration (42%), Iran (34%), economy (33%) and inflation (27%).
Kornacki also shows that 52% of Democrats hold a favorable view of socialism, pointing out that many socialist are winning Democratic primaries. However, 77% of Independents hold an unfavorable view of socialism, which could be a vulnerability.
To gain control of the Senate, Democrats need to hold key battleground states, like Georgia and Michigan, while flipping four seats in conservative strongholds.
The path in the House is narrower as Democrats only need a net gain of a few seats to flip the chamber, but mid-decade redistricting in states like Texas could bolster Republican numbers.
Debbie Wuthnow, president of iVoterGuide, says voters are weighed down by the economy and foreign policy, but independent voters remain hesitant about the Democratic platform.
"What would cause Independent voters to not vote for Democrats could be the move the Democrats are making towards socialism." Wuthnow says.
She expects Republicans to hold the Senate while Democrats make a push for the House.
According to their website, iVoterGuide is “nation’s largest candidate research organization focused exclusively on informing and mobilizing voters with biblical values.” They claim their guide has been used by millions of faith-based voters because they don’t just inform who is running, but also what they believe.
Using a map the U.S., the voter guide can show coverage of federal races in all 50 state, with 41 states having federal and statewide coverage and 32 state with federal, statewide and state legislative coverage.
