Americans Are Losing Confidence — and Republicans Are Losing Their Story

The latest Economist/YouGov polling paints a grim picture of where Americans stand: 57% say the economy is getting worse.

The most striking shift is among Republicans. Back in March, nearly 60% of GOP voters said the economy was improving. Now, just 39% still believe that. The myth of a “booming Trump economy” is collapsing under the weight of reality.

Shutdown Blame Holding Steady

As I noted last week, shutdown polling hasn’t moved.
History tells us that whoever is blamed first stays blamed — and this year, that’s Donald Trump and the Republican Party. Voters made up their minds early, and they’re not changing them.

Protest Divide and ICE Backlash

With massive No Kings protests planned for this weekend, Americans are split:

• 39% say the protests have been mostly violent

• 40% say they’ve been mostly peaceful

But public opinion toward ICE is clearly souring:

• Just over half say ICE has used too much force

• More than two-thirds say agents should be required to wear uniforms

• 52% oppose agents wearing masks during arrests

• 40% believe less than half of those deported are criminals

Even voters who support stricter border policies are losing patience with heavy-handed tactics and lack of transparency.

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Democrats Lead in Governors’ Races

In Virginia, a new Trafalgar (R) poll shows Democratic Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger up 3 points over GOP Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears. In New Jersey, Rasmussen has Democratic Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill leading GOP former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli by 6 points, within a ±3% margin of error.

Both races have been framed as toss-ups, but Democrats still lead. The media’s obsession with “tight races” says more about the press — and Democratic nerves — than about the numbers themselves.

Andrew Wilson is a research analyst at the Lincoln Democracy Institute.

FOR MORE ON THE LATEST POLLING AND WHAT IT MEANS, TUNE INTO BEHIND THE NUMBERS WITH RICK & ANDREW WILSON AT 10 AM ET FRIDAYS!