GOP leads generic congressional ballot by five points: Poll

The GOP advantage is growing as a poll earlier this month showed Republicans were just three points ahead

Published: August 22, 2022 9:55am

Updated: August 22, 2022 11:24am

Republicans have a five-point lead over Democrats in their bid to retake control of Congress this fall, according to a new poll.

With less than three months until midterm elections, a Rasmussen Reports poll found that 46% of likely U.S. voters said they would vote for a Republican for Congress, while 41% expressed support for a Democrat. Eight percent said they were unsure while 4% said they would vote for someone else.

The Republican advantage is increasing. Another Rasmussen poll taken earlier this month shortly after the FBI's raid on former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate showed that the GOP had a three-point advantage over Democrats in the congressional race.

In August 2018, shortly before Republicans lost control of the House for the first time in eight years, Democrats had a seven-point advantage. However, by November of that year, Republicans and Democrats were in a statistical dead heat.

The GOP's latest lead is mostly due to a nine-point lead with independent voters.

Another Rasmussen poll last week found that Americans are losing trust in the FBI following the agency's raid on Trump's Florida home. Trump is gaining more traction with Republican voters following the raid, making him the likely GOP frontrunner if he decides to run for reelection in 2024.