As the November midterms near, new polling out this week shows Democrats have two distinct advantages over Republicans: Their closing message resonates better with voters, and voters are far more likely to view Democrats as focused on the issues that matter to them and as a bulwark to extremist threats.
An NBC News poll found that generic Democratic midterm messaging outperformed generic Republican messaging. The generic Democrat emphasized continuing to deliver for working Americans by lowering health care and drug costs, ensuring that corporations pay their fair share, standing up for democracy and rejecting election lies, and opposing attempts to ban abortion.
The generic Republican emphasized that record-high gas and grocery prices are hurting Americans, highlighted a surge in violent crime and migrants crossing the border, and argued for changes in education following faltering student test scores in the wake of COVID lockdowns.
Three-quarters of registered voters said the Democratic message describes them well, with 49% saying it describes them "very well."
The Republican message was embraced by 68% of voters, with 41% saying it described them very well.
New polling from the progressive consortium Navigator Research also found reasons for optimism among Democrats, with a majority of Americans and independents saying Republicans are focused on the wrong things. Respondents were also more likely to say Republicans pose a threat to the country than they were to say Democrats do. That's exactly the type of contrast Democrats want voters to be thinking about as they fill out their ballots.
Asked which party is focused on the wrong things, 51% of adults said Republicans were while 42% named Democrats—a 9-point advantage for Democrats. But the trend was even more pronounced among independents, with 54% saying Republicans had it wrong while just 26% said Democrats did—a 2-to-1 edge for Democrats among a critical voting group.
Once more, more than two-thirds of Americans (67%) said Republicans pose a threat to the country (though 62% also said Democrats threaten the country). When talking about the GOP threat, respondents most often cited abortion bans, political violence (like the Jan. 6 insurrection), and extremism (fomented by groups like the Proud Boys and QAnon).
Americans also favor Democrats to preserve their freedoms, with a 47% plurality saying they trust President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party to protect their rights and freedoms compared to the 42% who trusted the Republican Party. Democrats led that choice among independents by a 10-point margin (33% Biden/Democrats-23% Republicans, with a 43% plurality saying they weren't sure either way).
The bottom line here is that polling suggests Democrats have the chance to deliver a strong closing message on pocketbook issues, reproductive freedom, and protecting our democracy that resonates with more voters and a very important slice of persuadable independents.
There are thousands of elections on the ballot this year, and Democratic campaigns all over the country need your help to get out the vote. Mobilize is your one-stop shop to get connected with campaigns anywhere in the country that need volunteers to call, text, write, and knock on doors. Click here to view GOTV opportunities near you.