A new poll from The New York Times and SurveyMonkey found that 50% of people surveyed approved of the GOP tax law while 45% disapproved.

This is the first time the law has seen a positive approval rating in a poll.

The tax law appears to be getting more popular, which is a good sign for Republicans' electoral chances in 2018.



Americans are warming up to the Republican tax law, according to a new survey, providing Republicans with a potentially significant boost to their 2018 electoral chances.

The survey, from The New York Times and SurveyMonkey, found that 50% of respondents supported the GOP tax law, while 45% did not support it.

That represents a dramatic improvement over the initial popularity of the legislation as it moved through Congress. A poll done from the Times and SurveyMonkey in December found the bill only had 37% approval to 57% disapproval.

While the law is improving in overall popularity, Americans' enthusiasm for the law's changes to their personal finance remains muted. Just 33% of people think they will receive an income tax cut, 14% think they will receive a salary increase, and 8% said they will receive a bonus or increased bonus, according to the survey.

According to the Tax Policy Center, a nonpartisan think tank, 80.4% of Americans should get a tax cut stemming from the law in 2018.

The law moving above water in the poll is part of a trend showing Americans coming around on it. Polls from Monmouth University, Gallup, and others over the past two months showed a steady increase in support for the law, as Republicans have touted its effects — including companies' announcements of new bonuses and pay raises for workers partly due to the tax cuts.

Republicans are banking on the tax cuts being a key issue in the 2018 midterm elections. Given that the tax law was the least popular piece of major tax legislation since at least 1980 when it was passed, the improvement likely buoys the party's electoral hopes.

At the same time the tax law has seen its support increase, so too has the electoral polling for the GOP. Once in a deep hole, Republicans have narrowed the gap with Democrats in generic-ballot polling. And a recent Morning Consult poll actually put the GOP in the lead on the question.