President Joe Biden‘s handling of the economy is dragging down Democrats‘ hopes in the midterm elections just as he prepares to deliver his first State of the Union address and grapples with the war in Ukraine, according to a new poll.
The ABC- and Washington Post-commissioned survey gets worse for the Democrats deeper into the crosstabs. Three-fourths of Americans say the economy is in bad shape, and 6 in 10 say they are feeling the brutal boot of inflation — now at a 40-year high. A paltry 17% say they are better off under Biden. And Republicans have a staggering 20-point lead among voters asked which party can best steer the economy through the current challenges.
THE STATE OF THE UNION IS … BROKE
“Post-ABC poll finds a deeply pessimistic nation, worried about the economy and Biden’s leadership,” the normally Biden-friendly Washington Post headlined its story on the poll.
As primary season ramps up, generic Republican House candidates have a 49-42% lead over Democrats among registered voters. The gap expands to 54-41% when sorted for registered voters who say they will turn out in November.
It’s not just his handling of the economy that has Biden’s job approval hitting a new low of just 37%, including a stunning 61% disapproval among independent voters. He is below 50% for his handling of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he has fallen on his pandemic response, and more and more voters are questioning his mental state.
ABC Poll Worst for Biden, Best for GOP yet
No confidence in Biden’s competence:
– 55% disapprove of his job
– 58% disapprove of his handling of the economy
– 59% say Biden is not a strong leader
– 54% think Biden is not mentally sharp https://t.co/P4SmhuT9IW— Kellyanne Conway (@KellyannePolls) February 27, 2022
Even Democrats’ support for Biden is faltering. Nearly one-fourth either disapprove (19%) or are withholding judgment (4%) of his performance.
The numbers, as well as the spiraling situation in Ukraine, present a dismal backdrop to Biden’s Tuesday State of the Union speech. Only former presidents Gerald Ford and Donald Trump had approval ratings as low as Biden’s on the eve of their first addresses to the nation.
The party affiliation numbers have shifted rapidly and dramatically since late 2021. In four ABC/Washington Post polls conducted last year from January through September, Democrats outnumbered Republicans by an average of 7 percentage points. Since November, it’s been just one percentage point.
Other key findings:
- By 50% to 40%, respondents want to see the next Congress controlled by Republicans. For contrast, Democrats led by 16 points on this measure going into Trump’s midterm elections in 2018.
- Some 59% say Biden is not a strong leader, and just 36% say he is. Two-thirds of independents say he is not.
- Nearly half, or 47%, disapprove of Biden’s early handling of the crisis in Ukraine.
- Some 75% of respondents rate the shape of the economy as not good or poor, the most in ABC/Washington Post polls in nearly a decade.
- Three out of four voters say the economy has gotten worse under Biden.
- More than half (54%) of voters don’t think Biden is sharp enough mentally to be president.
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The landline and cellphone poll was conducted from Feb. 20-24 using a random sample of 1,011 adults, including 904 registered voters. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.
