Marist Poll: Parents, Latinos, and Independents Prefer Republicans over Democrats on Congressional Ballot

Republicans lead Democrats with key demographic groups on a generic congressional ballot poll conducted by NPR, PBS NewsHour, and Marist.

The recent poll showed that Republicans have a three-point lead on a generic ballot. Of the 1,162 registered voters who participated in the survey, 47 percent said they would pick the unnamed Republican when asked which candidate they would support if the election was held “today.”

In comparison, only 44 percent said they would vote for the unnamed Democrat. Three percent said other, and seven percent said they were unsure whom to vote for. The poll marks the first time since August 2014 that the Republicans have led on the congressional ballot. That same year the Republicans won control of the House and the Senate.

The poll revealed that Republicans lead with key demographic groups, such as independents, Latinos, and parents with children under 18.

Out of the independent respondents, 45 percent said they would vote for the Republican and 38 percent said they would vote for the Democrat. Six percent chose “other,” and ten percent said they were unsure whom to vote for.

With Latino respondents, over half (52 percent) said they would vote for the Republican and 39 percent said they would vote for the Democrat. Only one percent chose “other,” and eight percent were unsure whom to vote for.

A majority of parents who have children under age 18 (60 percent) chose the Republican in the poll, while 32 percent said they would vote for the Democrat. Two percent chose “other,” and five percent were unsure whom to vote for.

This year, with both the House and Senate at stake, the Republicans are going up against the Democrats’ slimmest majorities in modern history. In the lower chamber, the GOP has only to net gain five seats to win back the majority, and they have an upper hand in some cases with 32 House Democrats announcing they would not be seeking reelection.

The majority is also on the line in the upper chamber since the Senate is split 50/50, meaning the Democrats cannot lose any seats and the Republicans need only one.

The Marist Poll was sponsored by NPR and PBS NewsHour and was conducted April 19-26 with a 3.7 percent margin of error.

Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.