Exit polls: Inflation, abortion rights drive voters to polls

According to preliminary exit poll results, about half of voters say they would rather see the Republican Party control the U.S. House of Representatives, while just under half say the same about Democrats.

Independents, often swing voters, are almost equally divided between Democrats and Republicans when it comes to control of the House, barely leaning toward Democrats. In 2020, independents backed Democratic House candidates by a 9 point margin at 53% to 44%.

Over three-fourths of voters who say they have gotten worse off financially in the past two years are favoring Republicans. A stark turnaround from 2020 and 2018, when this group backed Democrats by about 60-point margins, and a return to GOP advantages among worse-off voters in 2016 and 2014.

Voters among two potential swing voter groups, moderates and independents, leaned toward New Hampshire incumbent Democrat Sen. Maggie Hassan, according to preliminary exit poll results. The lead is wider among moderates over independents.

Hassan also leads among voters who say abortion was their most important issue, but her challenger Republican candidate Donald Bolduc leads with over two-thirds among voters who said inflation was the most important issue in their vote for Senate.

Republicans have widened their lead when it comes to trust to handle inflation with more than half of voters saying they favor the GOP over Democrats, according to preliminary exit poll results.

Republican Herschel Walker, who’s been embroiled in a personal scandal, is seen as showing good judgment by just about a third of Georgia voters in preliminary results.

By contrast, just over half of voters say incumbent Democrat Sen. Raphael Warnock shows good judgment.

But, nearly half said Warnock has views that are too extreme, with less than half saying the same of Walker.