A majority of Americans say Republicans will do a better job bolstering the economy, giving the party its widest lead over Democrats on that metric in three decades, a new Gallup poll found.
(Bloomberg) — A majority of Americans say Republicans will do a better job bolstering the economy, giving the party its widest lead over Democrats on that metric in three decades, a new Gallup poll found.
Americans trusted Republicans on the economy more than Democrats by 14 points, the widest gap the GOP has enjoyed since 1991, according to a September poll. The poll shows 53% said Republicans would do a better job on the economy, while 39% chose Democrats.
The results illustrate the obstacles President Joe Biden faces campaigning for a second term, in which concerns over inflation and jobs are persistently top issues. The poll found that nearly three-fourths of Americans feel pessimistic about the economy.
Biden has sought to reverse voters’ poor perceptions of his handling of the economy, touting his agenda of “Bidenomics” to little effect despite a strong jobs market and solid growth. His reelection campaign launched a new ad Tuesday highlighting his efforts to lower consumer costs, citing caps on insulin prices for seniors, Medicare’s power to negotiate drug prices and lower health-care premiums.
Read more: Biden Campaign Launches New Ad on Economy Aimed at Swing States
Republicans enjoyed an advantage on the economy during the mid-to-late 1980s, but were either narrowly tied or far behind Democrats beginning in the mid-1990s, hitting a low point in 2007 amid the Great Recession, according to Gallup, which has tracked the issues since the 1950s.
Gallup respondents have rated Republicans higher than Democrats on the economy for most of the past decade, except for a brief period in 2020, when GOP leaders in Congress were resisting passing additional pandemic relief funding.
Americans viewed both parties negatively overall, with 56% reporting an unfavorable view of the Republican Party and 58% an unfavorable view of the Democratic Party.
The poll of of 1,106 adults was conducted Sept. 1-23 in all 50 states. It has a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.
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