Rasmussen: GOP edges ahead, but outcome too close to call

November 5, 2018

Rasmussen Reports on Monday released its final “Generic Congressional Ballot” Monday showing a tiny lead for Republicans heading into the midterm elections Tuesday, but with a +/-2 percentage point margin of error, things are still too close to call.

Headlines on the Drudge Report page seemed to be all over the political landscape.

Screen snip, Drudge Report, Monday Nov. 5

But Bloomberg Monday was reporting that both sides are bracing for a “possible split decision that would hand the House to Democrats and leave Republicans holding onto or expanding their Senate majority.” The news agency was calling this year’s election “the most expensive midterm campaign in U.S. history.”

“Following the controversy surrounding the Senate confirmation of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, the Generic Congressional Ballot was tied for two weeks, but then Democrats moved back ahead.”—Rasmussen Reports

According to Rasmussen, 46 percent of likely voters “would choose the Republican candidate if the elections for Congress were held today.” The question was asked during a survey taken Oct. 28-Nov. 1 from among 2,500 likely voters.

Forty-five percent said they would vote for Democrats, while three percent would prefer “some other candidate” and six percent were still undecided.

Rasmussen noted that Democrats have led every week during the polling cycle, but that things evened up as a result of the hearings on Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court. However, Democrats have since crept ahead slightly.

“The GOP now has a small lead among voters not affiliated with either major party. But significantly, 20% of these voters remain undecided or prefer someone other than the Republican or Democratic candidates.”—Rasmussen Reports

LMT Online is reporting that there could be a “massive shake-up” in the Trump administration following the elections, depending upon the outcome. Democrats have already made no secret that if they re-take the House, they will push hard on expanding investigations, and look at gun control, raising taxes and undoing things Republicans have accomplished over the past 22 months.

One thing that Bloomberg also reported is that “Partisans were preparing for the unexpected, though, two years after Donald Trump stunned the nation with his surprise win.”

Rasmussen reported last week that there might be a “silent red wave” much like the one that seemed to surprise everybody in 2016 when Donald Trump beat Hillary Rodham Clinton in the race for the White House.

Could ‘silent red wave’ be on horizon?