Dems Gain Slightly in Congress Support

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The latest Monmouth University Poll finds the Democrats making small gains in preference for Congressional control and the year-long slide in President Joe Biden’s job rating appears to have stabilized. The economy remains a driving force in the midterm elections, but it is not the only issue of importance.

Democrats have made slight gains in the public’s preference for party control of Congress since the spring. Currently, 38% of Americans say they want the Democratic Party in charge and another 12% have no initial preference but lean toward Democratic control. Republican control is preferred by 34% with another 9% leaning toward the GOP. The combined 50% who choose the Democrats is up from 47% in June and 44% in May. Republicans’ 43% support level is down from 47% in June and 48% in May. CONTINUED

Monmouth University Polling Institute

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Three big takeaways from the Kansas abortion vote

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Tuesday’s voting featured a lot of big primaries, but when the dust settled the biggest news came from Kansas where citizens voted on a constitutional [amendment] to keep abortion legal in the state by a landslide, 17 points.

The measure was the first significant test of where voters stood on the issue since the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision in June that overturned Roe v. Wade and turned abortion back to the states. And the size of the win for pro-abortion rights advocates in a conservative state surprised many.

Beyond the sheer size of the win, there are three significant takeaways from Tuesday’s Kansas news: CONTINUED

Dante Chinni, NBC News

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Some Lessons and Questions After the Kansas Abortion Referendum

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Since the Roe v. Wade decision, the typical American’s position has been “abortion should be legally permitted for some reasons but not others.” This remains true even in many conservative-leaning states, like Kansas, where a majority of elected representatives are pro-life. …

By increasing the electoral salience of abortion, an issue on which higher levels of education are associated with more liberal views, Dobbs will probably work to further increase the growing “diploma divide” separating Dem-trending college graduates from GOP-trending non-college whites. CONTINUED

David A. Hopkins (Boston College), Honest Graft

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CBS News Battleground Tracker: What do voters in each party want in a candidate?

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The latest CBS News Battleground Tracker takes a look at what — and who — would motivate voters to back a candidate.

For most Republicans, an endorsement by the former president is a plus for that candidate, and even more so among Republicans who say they “always” vote in Republican primaries, most of whom identify as MAGA Republicans. A Trump endorsement doesn’t have as much sway among Republicans who are less frequent primary voters, but on balance, an endorsement by the former president is a net positive for this group of Republicans, too. …

Most Democratic voters would be more likely to vote for a candidate who described themselves as a “Black Lives Matter supporter, a “social justice” Democrat or as a progressive, and this is even more true of those who always vote in primaries. Most also want a candidate who generally supports President Biden’s policies, which is far more important to them than a candidate who makes conservative angry, though the latter does appeal more to self-described progressives in the party. CONTINUED

CBS News

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Democrats’ Approval of Supreme Court at Record-Low 13%

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After several prominent rulings at the end of its term in June, most of which were decided in favor of conservatives’ positions on the issues, the U.S. Supreme Court’s overall job approval rating is 43%, statistically unchanged from last year’s 40% reading. However, the stability in the overall reading masks big swings among partisans, with Republicans’ approval rating rising 29 percentage points to 72% and Democrats’ falling 23 points to 13%. CONTINUED

Mohamed Younis, Gallup

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New York State: Gov. Hochul Holds Early 14-Point, 53-39%, Lead Over Zeldin

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Three months until election day, Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul holds a 14-point lead over Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin, 53-39%. Democratic US Senator Chuck Schumer holds a 21-point lead over Republican Joe Pinion, 56-35%, as does Democratic State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, who leads Republican Paul Rodriguez 51-30%. Democratic Attorney General Letitia James leads Republican Michael Henry, 50-36%, according to a new Siena College Poll of likely New York State voters released today.

Voters oppose the recent Supreme Court decision to overrun Roe v. Wade and eliminate the constitutional right to abortion, 68-25%. By a larger 74-21% margin, voters say abortion should be always or mostly legal, as opposed to always or mostly illegal. CONTINUED

Siena College Research Institute

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