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Home – Midterm Election News – Pollster Reveals the Real Story Behind Republicans’ Midterm Woes

Pollster Reveals the Real Story Behind Republicans’ Midterm Woes

Americans’ economic pessimism has turned what could have been a favorable midterm environment for Republicans into a fight for control of Congress, pollster Scott Rasmussen tells the Daily Signal.

With less than a week before Election Day, Rasmussen predicts the House is leaning toward Democrats while control of the Senate is uncertain. He joined me on the latest episode of “Midterm Report.”

“The reason we’re in the political environment we’re in today is because people are just as pessimistic about their personal finances today as they were on the eve of election 2024,” said Rasmussen, founder and president of RMG Research.

President Donald Trump benefited from Americans’ frustration with the high cost of living two years ago when he defeated Democrat Kamala Harris. Now, Rasmussen said, voters could punish Republicans because prices remain high.

“When the price of gas goes up, that amount of discretionary spending for everything else goes down. In fact, the biggest thing that people cut back on when gas prices go up is groceries,” Rasmussen said. “Every week when you go to the gas pump, you feel like you got a pay cut from the week before. And that’s the primary driving force in this pessimism.”

Over the course of Trump’s second term, Rasmussen has consistently asked voters the question, “Are your personal finances getting better or worse these days?” In early February, more than a year into Trump’s presidency, the numbers had improved—32% of voters said their finances were getting better compared to 30% who said they were worse.

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That was near the best Rasmussen had seen in five years.

Then the U.S. attacked Iran at the end of February. The numbers have only grown worse since then.

“If you had asked me in February, I would have said if the trend continues, the Republicans are going have a very good political environment in November,” Rasmussen said. “However, I didn’t anticipate the war with Iran.”

He added, “I want to be clear, what I’m about to say is not policy question about the wisdom of the war or how evil Iran is—clearly they’re a force for evil in the world—but from a purely political point of view, the war has been a disaster for the GOP.”

The consequences of that economic........

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