Want some good news today? Well, Public Policy Polling can provide that:
Democrats picked up big wins in special elections in Florida and New Hampshire this week, and PPP's newest national poll finds there might be a lot more where that came from. Democrats continue to hold a double digit lead on the generic Congressional ballot at 48-37, which should position them to pick up a lot of seats across the country next year.
One reason for the strong position Democrats are in is fallout from the GOP's failed efforts on health care, and our new poll makes it clear Jimmy Kimmel won the health care battle in the court of public opinion. By a 47/34 spread, voters say they trust Kimmel more than the Republicans in Congress when it comes to health care issues. Kimmel has a 47/30 favorability rating nationally. By contrast Paul Ryan is at a 25/51 approval rating, Mitch McConnell is at 14/61, and Congress as a whole has a 9/76 approval.
Only 27% of voters support the most recent Republican health care bill to 53% who oppose it. By contrast the Affordable Care Act continues to have new found popularity with 48% of voters in favor of it and 34% against. Asked which of the bills they prefer the Affordable Care Act beats out the Graham-Cassidy repeal bill 53-34, and only 32% of voters think the best path forward on health care is to repeal the Affordable Care Act while 62% think it's best to keep it and makes fixes as necessary.
The health care debate is having a bad impact on Republicans electorally. By a 19 point margin voters say they're less likely to support a member of Congress who voted for the health care repeal bill- 48% say they're less likely to vote for such an incumbent next year to only 29% who say they're more likely to.
Donald Trump continues to be unpopular with 42% of voters approving of him to 53% who disapprove. Some new issues that have cropped up in the last few weeks are causing him problems in addition to the ongoing issues causing his unpopularity. Only 37% of voters think it's appropriate for him to refer to a foreign leader as 'Rocket Man' to 56% who think it's inappropriate. Only 24% of voters think it's appropriate for him to use campaign funds to pay for his legal expenses, to 64% who think it's inappropriate. And only 20% of voters think it's appropriate for his cabinet secretaries to fly on taxpayer funded private plans, to 71% who say it's inappropriate.
Beyond those specific issues voters continue to have concerns with Trump's general temperament. Only 39% of voters think he's honest, to 54% who consider him to be dishonest. A plurality of voters- 47%- consider Trump to be mentally unbalanced to only 45% who consider him to be mentally stable. 58% of voters still want to see Trump's tax returns, to only 35% who think it isn't necessary for him to release them. Only 35% of voters think Trump has fulfilled his core campaign promise to 'Make America Great Again' to 53% who think he has not delivered. And for the fifth month in a row we find voters in support of impeachment- 48% favor it, to 43% who are opposed.
The poll also shows that the majority of voters trust news outlets more than Trump:
Do you have a higher opinion of Donald Trump or…
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Winner
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CBS
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CBS, 53/38
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NBC
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NBC, 52/39
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ABC
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ABC, 52/39
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Washington Post
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Washington Post, 52/39
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CNN
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CNN, 51/38
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New York Times
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New York Times, 52/40
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ESPN
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ESPN, 48/38
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As for 2020, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Michelle Obama are the top candidates with double digit leads over Trump while Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand and Kamala Harris all lead Trump by single digits. We’re on the right path to win and we need to keep up the momentum. Let’s take back Congress, Governorships and State Legislatures next year. Click below to get involved and donate to any of these Democratic organizations:
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