Polls swing toward GOP ahead of midterms

Recent polls have GOP members feeling optimistic about the upcoming midterm elections, with President Trump advocating the polls during a joint Senate-House Republican retreat in West Virginia earlier this week.

Trump, who discussed polls from Monmouth University and multiple Reuters/Ipsos polls with National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Steve Stivers, told lawmakers, “I just looked at some numbers, you’ve even done better than you thought.”

Stiver noted the uptick in Trump’s approval rating for both the Monmouth and Reuters/Ipsos poll, saying it’s a good sign for Republicans running for reelection.

Just a week before Congress passed the final version of the tax bill, Trump’s approval rating hit a low of 33 percent on Dec 13th in a Reuters/Ipsos tracking poll.

Democrat, however, dismissed the Republicans' recent optimism, pointing out that although Trump’s approval has increased, the numbers are still low.

Tyler Law, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said, “President Trump’s numbers are abysmal, and it’s dragging down vulnerable House Republicans deep into the map. Any slight uptick is starting at a very low bar.”

Democrats need 24 seats to recapture control of the House and two seats to win back the Senate.