WASHINGTON — Democrats are in worse shape for midterm elections than they were during the 2010 bloodbath that cost them control of the House, a Pew Research survey reveals.
The drop in the “generic ballot,” in which Republicans lead Democrats 47 to 43 percent, is one of several warning signs for Democrats, who must face voters without a presidential election to drive turnout and President Obama’s approval battered in the polls.
“Democrats are burdened by an uneven economic recovery and a stubbornly unpopular health-care law,” Pew wrote.
In March 2010 — months before the blowout that Obama himself called a “shellacking” — the two parties were tied, 44-44.
When Democrats captured the House in 2006, two years after George W. Bush won re-election, they held a 51-41 advantage on the generic ballot.