Democratic candidates lead by 15 points in a hypothetical matchup for the 2018 midterm elections, according to a new Fox News poll.

In the survey, 50 percent of respondents said that if the election for Congress were held today, they would vote for the Democratic candidate. Only 35 percent said they would vote for a Republican.

About a year ago, the same question showed voters evenly split, with 45 percent saying they would vote for a Democrat, and 45 percent saying they would vote Republican.

Generic ballots are considered an important bellwether for how a party's candidates will fare in an election.

Republican lawmakers are concerned that their slow progress on passing legislation could put their majorities at risk in 2018. They say enacting tax-reform legislation is crucial to avoiding a voter backlash.

Democrats think they have a real shot at winning back the House and Senate next year, though the upper chamber is a steeper climb. The party is defending 25 Senate seats, 10 of them in states won by Trump, while Republicans are defending only nine seats.

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When asked their feelings about the direction of the country today, 57 percent of respondents in the Fox News poll said they were “not so hopeful,” while only 41 percent said they were “hopeful.”

The poll also found that President Trump’s approval rating is at 38 percent, a new low for the Fox News poll.

The poll was conducted by phone from Oct. 22-24 among 1,005 registered voters. It had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.