Trump approval climbs to 32 percent

Donald Trump's approval rating rose by one point to 32 percent, moving away from the record low recorded in the previous week. The data comes from a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Monday. This measurement arrives six days before the November 3 midterm elections that will determine control of Congress.

The survey found Democrats favored over Republicans for the next Congress. Forty-seven percent of registered voters preferred the Democratic Party, while 36 percent chose the Republican Party. Eleven percent of respondents indicated they did not know how they would vote if the election were held immediately. This margin is one point narrower than a previous poll conducted in October.

Pollsters also queried undecided voters about their leanings. When including these responses, the gap narrowed slightly. Democrats led by nine points in that calculation, with 50 percent support against 41 percent for Republicans. These generic ballot numbers reflect national sentiment rather than the specific district contests that decide individual seats.

Republicans currently hold majorities in both the House and the Senate. Losing either chamber would complicate the legislative agenda for the final two years of Trump's second term. Analysts generally view Democrats as having a strong chance to win the House. They face a steeper challenge in retaining or gaining control of the Senate, where Republicans hold structural advantages.

Turnout remains a variable in the contest. Among voters most likely to cast ballots, Democrats led by nine points. That margin stood at 53 percent to 44 percent. Democratic voters also reported higher enthusiasm levels. Forty-six percent of Democrats said they were very enthusiastic about the midterms, compared with 30 percent of Republicans.

Economic concerns drive much of the voter sentiment. Inflation has surged since Trump ordered military strikes on Iran in February. Those actions pushed gasoline prices higher. Seventy-three percent of voters in the latest survey said their cost of living is heading in the wrong direction. Before the conflict began, polls showed voters preferring Republicans as better stewards of the economy. The latest survey found 37 percent of voters saying Democrats have a better approach to the economy, compared with 33 percent who chose Republicans.

The online poll gathered responses from 1,679 US adults. The group included 1,280 registered voters. The margin of error is 2 percentage points for all adults and 3 percentage points for registered voters.