Democrats still have a sizable 8-point lead over Republicans in a generic House ballot, according to a new Monmouth University Poll.
Forty-nine percent of voters said they would back the unnamed Democratic candidate running in their district, while 41 percent would support the unnamed Republican if the election for the House were held today, according to the poll.
Support for Democrats over Republicans hasn’t changed much over the last few weeks, as a Monmouth poll from March found that Democrats had a 9-point advantage over Republicans.
“The House race outlook has held fairly steady over the past two months,” said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. “Even though the public has a negative view of both the Republican and Democrat caucuses, the GOP tends to take more of a hit on the ballot test because it is the party in power.”
Republicans have been hoping the tax reform bill passed late last year would be a major draw for voters and help the GOP maintain its majorities in the House and Senate. But the Monmouth University poll found that support for the plan is split, as 40 percent approve of the tax reform legislation, compared to 44 percent who disapprove.
Support for the top four congressional leaders also remains low.
In the Senate, 10 percent of voters approve of the top Republican, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., while 16 percent approve of the top Democrat, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
In the House, 23 percent of voters are satisfied with the job House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is doing. Just 17 percent are pleased with his Democratic counterpart, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
The Monmouth University Poll of 803 adults was conducted from April 26 to April 30. Results have a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
