There's a clear party favorite among American voters when they're thinking about the nation's security and economic prosperity according to new data out from Gallup on Wednesday, and it's not the party currently in charge of handling both.
By "significant margins," Americans now "view the Republican Party as better than the Democratic Party at protecting the nation from international threats (54% to 39%, respectively) and at ensuring the nation remains prosperous (50% to 41%)."
More bad news, though not unexpected news, for President Biden and Democratic leadership in Congress following the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan and persistent inflation amid Democrats' inability to pass a domestic spending agenda.
By 54% to 39%, Americans say the Republican Party is better able than the Democratic Party to keep the U.S. safe from terrorism and other military threats — the largest GOP advantage since 2015. https://t.co/8ra1nBosmI
— GallupNews (@GallupNews) October 6, 2021
Gallup notes that "the 15-percentage-point GOP advantage on security matters is its largest since 2015, while its nine-point edge on prosperity is its largest since 2014" and "the 39% of Americans saying the Democratic Party will do a better job in the next few years of protecting the U.S. from terrorism and other international threats is down significantly from 46% last year."
On the problems viewed as most pressing to Americans, Gallup found that by "41% to 38%, U.S. adults say the Republican Party rather than the Democratic Party can better handle whichever problem they name (in an open-ended question format) as the most important facing the country."
So with the clear preference for Republicans over Democrats to handle America's security and economic health, the GOP still pulls out a narrow victory when it comes to other problems that face the country. Respondents most commonly cited the Wuhan coronavirus and the government as their most urgent priorities.
As has been the case with many polls showing Biden and Democrats bleeding support to Republicans, most of the individuals jumping ship in search of better leadership are independents. As Gallup explains, "Since last year, there have been double-digit declines in the percentages of independents who say the Democratic Party is better at handling the most important problem (from 42% to 31%), at keeping the nation secure (from 43% to 31%) and at keeping the nation prosperous (from 47% to 35%)."
The "bottom line" according to Gallup's latest survey is again bad news for President Biden and Democrats, especially those whose names will be on the ballot in 2022's midterm elections just more than a year away:
Americans now generally see the Republican Party as better than the Democratic Party at handling two key government objectives -- protecting citizens from international threats and promoting a strong economy.
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Most often, performance in midterm elections hinges on the popularity of the incumbent president at the time of the election. With Joe Biden in office and his approval rating slumping, unless it improves substantially over the next year, Republicans would likely gain seats in Congress in next year's elections, and control of one or both chambers of Congress.