Survey: On the generic ballot, Republicans hold slight edge in key Senate races

Caroline Tanner | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Joe Biden rallies Democrats for 2018 midterms Former Vice President Joe Biden spoke to a gathering of Democrats Wednesday with a message of uniting the party to take back the House of Representatives in the 2018 midterm elections. (Feb. 7)

WASHINGTON - Six months ahead of midterm elections, data from registered voters across the country suggest Republicans hold a slight edge in key Democratic states on the generic ballot, including Florida, Indiana and Missouri, indicating they are ready to replace blue incumbent Senators.

When it comes to the generic congressional ballot overall, slightly more voters said they would vote for a Democratic candidate (40%), compared to 35% for a Republican candidate, according to the report published Thursday by Morning Consult.

Morning Consult surveyed 275,000 people throughout the U.S. from February through April and weighed the data to produce a target sample of voters based on various factors: age, gender, race, ethnicity, gender, education and location.

Despite net positive approval ratings for Democrats, a majority of voters in incumbent Senate states said they are looking to vote for someone new.

When looking at the generic ballot in Senate seats currently held by Democrats, Republicans in Montana, North Dakota and Ohio were favored, among others.

Generic Democrats in lean blue districts may have an advantage, as the report showed they have a much wider lead than Republicans in lean red districts.

Despite security issues being the top policy issue for Republican voters, economy is top of mind overall for all Amiercans (27 %), followed by security (21%), health care (17%), senior’s issues (16%), education (7%), women’s issues (4%) and energy (3%).

Democrats considered the economy their top priority (24%), with Republicans focusing on security (35%).

The economy and security issues were identified by voters as the issues they most care about, with the exception of voters in Montana, who placed health care as their second most important issue.

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