With less than a week to go before the midterm elections, a new poll shows President Donald Trump facing a potentially significant problem at the ballot box: Far more likely voters say they plan to vote against him than in support of him.
According to a new Marist/NPR/PBS News poll released Tuesday, Oct. 27, 44% of likely voters said their November vote will be a vote against Trump, compared with 21% who said they will vote to support him.
The divide is especially wide among independents, who are more than three times as likely to say they are voting against Trump as they are to say they are voting in support of him.
The findings come as Democrats maintain an advantage in the generic congressional ballot. The Marist poll found Democrats leading
Republicans by 8 percentage points, adding to signs that dissatisfaction with Trump could weigh on GOP candidates heading into Election Day.
The poll was conducted Oct. 19-20 among 1,289 registered voters and has a margin of error of 3.8 percentage points.
Cost of living weighs on Trump
The dissatisfaction with Trump also comes as economic concerns dominate voters' priorities.
In the Marist poll, 34% of voters cited the cost of living as their top issue heading into the election, narrowly ahead of preserving democracy at 33%. Immigration followed at 12%, while foreign policy and health care were each cited by 5%.
The financial strain is also personal for many voters: 38% said their finances have gotten worse over the past year, while 44% said they have stayed about the same.
What do the polling averages say?
The Marist findings come against a broader backdrop of weak approval numbers for Trump.
As of Tuesday, Oct. 20, the RealClearPolitics average showed Trump with a 38.4% approval rating and a 60.1% disapproval rating. The New York Times polling average had Trump at 37% approval and 60% disapproval, while Nate Silver's Silver Bulletin average showed 37% approval and 60.4% disapproval.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 44% say midterm vote will be against Trump: Poll
