A New York Times/Siena poll published Monday shows Republicans leading democracy by 49% to 45% on the generic congressional ballot question. Voters interviewed by the Times provided a snapshot of the Republicans’ appeal to those becoming turned off by representative democracy. “It’s all about cost,” said 51-year-old Democratic retiree Gerard Lamoureux in Newtown, Connecticut, who plans to vote Republican next month. “The price of gas and groceries are through the roof. And I want to eat healthy, but it’s cheaper for me to go to McDonald’s and get a little meal than it is to cook dinner,” Lamoureux added without explaining how electing Republicans is going to make healthy food cheaper. “I’m shifting more towards Republican because I feel like they’re more geared towards business,” said Robin Ackerman, a 37-year-old Delaware Dem, who said she “1,000% disagrees” with the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade.
While the congressional ballot finding – and another one showing a 1-point lead for fat former President Trump over President Joe Biden in a 2024 rematch – may sound bleak for democracy lovers, New York City man Nate Cohn raised some issues with its reporting. “Characterizing this poll as a four-point Republican lead doesn’t merely offer a false sense of precision – it’s just false. That’s not something I can gloss over,” Cohn wrote in a technical jargon-filled analysis.