Poll: GOP Sees Path to House Majority via Opposition to Bernie Sanders

Internal polling commissioned by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) showed that in battleground congressional districts voters prefer President Donald Trump over Democrat frontrunner Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), according to a report released Friday.

A Politico report found that voters in swing districts targeted by Republicans and Democrats remain skeptical of the democratic socialist, with 42 percent approving of the Vermont senator and 53 disapproving. The NRCC survey found that voters prefer Trump 48 to Sanders’ 43 percent.

The outlet reported that the survey has given “fresh hope” to Republicans, who were previously skeptical of the president’s prediction that House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) will be the next speaker of the House.

Politico also wrote that Republicans believe they can target Democrats as “socialists” during the 2020 elections.

The Republican survey found that Republicans opposed to impeachment poll better than Democrats in favor of impeachment by a 51 to 43 percent margin.

“Democrats in districts won by Trump in the ’16 election are going to have to contend with electorates that clearly oppose their positions on impeachment – voters in those key districts say they would support an anti-impeachment GOP’er over a pro-impeachment DEM by a 50%-44% margin,” the GOP memo said.

The memo continued:

While the nine months between now and election day represents several political lifetimes, our polling leaves no question that Democrats’ efforts to impeach the President and remove him from office has strengthened him for the fall election and better positioned the GOP to make a strong run at taking back the House.

Many swing district Democrats have already distanced themselves from Sanders, who has become the Democrat presidential frontrunner.

Rep. Anthony Brindisi (D-NY) said recently that he will not back Sanders if he becomes the Democrat nominee. Rep. Conor Lamb (D-PA) said, “It would be really hard” for Sanders to win his red-leaning district.

Former Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY), a former Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee chairman,  said, “If the nominee is Sanders, Democrats in districts that lean towards Trump are going to have to focus on their own brand and disassociate with a narrative that they’re running on a socialist platform.”