Poll: 76% Democrat Capitol Hill Aides Believe Republicans Will Regain House Majority in 2022

An overwhelming majority of senior Democrat Capitol Hill aides believe their party will lose control of the House after the midterms next year, according to a poll taken by Punchbowl News and Locust Street Group.

The percentage of senior Democrat Capitol Hill aides doubled in the last eight months when only 36 percent said the Republican would regain control of the House in April.

In fact, the number has also significantly increased since August, when 48 percent, still less than half of Democrat senior Capitol Hill aides, said Republicans would take the House.

The poll revealed the disparity between the Democrat Capitol Hill aides and the elected leadership. Punchbowl News acknowledged that the Democrat aides working on the Hill believe their party will lose the majority in 2022, while the Democrat leadership in the Hosue and Senate maintain the appearance that their “aggressive legislative agenda” such as the Build Back Better Act and the infrastructure law would help them stay in the majority.

“A majority of aides on both sides of the aisle say that their party may need to replace their leadership in 2023. In Capitol Hill time we’re a long way from this, but the unified and widespread sentiment on this topic tells us that this problem is likely here to stay,” Locust Street Group said.

The poll found that 62 percent of the Democrat Capitol Hill aides “want new leadership in D.C. regardless of the outcome of the 2022 elections,” noting that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has been in leadership for roughly 20 years.

The survey was conducted anonymously online in November through the Locust Street Group, partnering with Punchbowl News. The survey had 245 Republican and 201 Democrat (446 total) senior Capitol Hill aides participating. Those senior aides include chiefs of staff, legislative directors, communications directors, press secretaries, and staff directors. There was no margin of error given.

Punchbowl News previously said the reason for polling aides is “Members of Congress are the ones with the election certificates, but, in many cases, their aides hold outsized power. Senior staffers are the gatekeepers and, in many cases, the decision-makers.”

In the newest survey, Punchbowl News added that the poll is an “insider’s perspective of what’s actually happening on the Hill from those closest to members of Congress.”

Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter.