Democrats maintain lead among likely voters ahead of midterm: Poll

US congressional candidates from the Democratic Party continue to hold a double-digit lead over Republicans on the eve of the midterm elections, according to a new survey.

Democrats have a 55 percent to 42 percent advantage over Republicans in a generic congressional ballot among likely voters, according to the CNN poll conducted by SSRS, a survey and market research firm.

“About 7 in 10 likely voters say that when they cast a ballot on Tuesday, they'll be sending a message about President Donald Trump, and more often and not, the message those voters want to send is one of opposition,” CNN said.

The poll mirrors the Democrats’ lead in early October and is about the same as the 10-point edge they held just after Labor Day on September 3.

Democrats benefit from a massive gender gap that has persisted throughout the fall.

Women favor Democrats 62 percent to 35 percent, while men are about evenly divided, 49 percent back the Republican, while 48 percent support the Democrat in their district.

Democrats also enjoy a wide lead among political independents, and strong support from black and Hispanics.

PressTV-30 million vote early in US midterm elections

Early voting turnout for the U.S. midterm elections, especially among young people, is significantly higher than 2014’s midterm elections, according to data collected so far.

The poll also found that 42 percent of likely voters want to cast their ballots as a way of expressing opposition to the president, while just 28 percent will do so to support him.

Trump's approval rating in the poll stands at 39 percent overall, with 55 percent disapproving, slightly worse than in early October, when 41 percent approved of his performance and 52 percent disapproved.

That is the worst pre-election approval rating for any president approaching their first midterm election in polling dating back to former President Dwight Eisenhower, who was in office from 1953 to 1961.

Among likely voters, a majority, 52 percent, say they strongly disapprove of the way Trump is handling his job, 35 percent say they strongly approve of his work as president, and only 11 percent of those likely to vote say they do not have strong views on him.

The poll also finds 8 in 10 Americans think the country is more deeply divided this year on major issues than it has been in recent years and 7 in 10 say that the current tone of American politics is encouraging violence among some people.

Trump, with the help of many Republican congressional candidates, has dramatically escalated his efforts to take advantage of racial divisions and cultural fears in the final days of the midterm election campaign.

The intensified divisive rhetoric is part of an overt attempt to rally white supporters to voting stations and preserve the Republican majority in Congress.

This year’s elections have turned into an all-out war that has already raised the alarms about the beginning of a dark chapter in the history of US politics.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir