Going into the midterms, likely voters named the economy their top issue.
Voters headed to the polls Tuesday for the midterm elections that will determine which party holds the Senate and House of Representatives and could significantly impact President Joe Biden's agenda for the final two years of his first term in the White House.
According to a recent ABC/Post poll, 80% of likely voters said the economy was their top issue in their vote for Congress and 77% said the same about inflation.
Even after the polls close and votes are counted Tuesday night, it could be days or even a week before final midterm election results are known in every state, according to election experts and officials.
According to preliminary exit poll results, more than two-thirds of voters say democracy in the U.S. is threatened.
More than two-thirds of voters express confidence that elections in their state are being conducted fairly and accurately.
Sixty percent of voters say abortion should be legal rather than illegal in all or most cases, compared to 36% who disagree, according to preliminary exit poll results. This is a 9% rise in the share of voters saying it should be legal from 2020.
Among voters, there is a gender gap when it comes to the issue of abortion, with 32% of women calling it their top issue compared to 21% of men. Sixty-two percent of women favor legal abortion, as do 58% of men.
More voters also are dissatisfied or angry about the U.S. Supreme Court ruling to eliminating the constitutional right to abortion than are satisfied or enthusiastic about it, at 60% to 37%.
More voters trust the Democratic Party over the Republican Party when it comes to handling abortion at 52% to 42%.
According to preliminary results, voters trust the Republican Party over the Democratic Party to handle inflation by a moderate 8-point margin of 52% to 44%.
In large part given economic concerns, President Joe Biden is underwater in job approval with 45% approving of the way he’s handling his job as president, while 54% disapprove.
That’s not far from the lowest presidential approval rating in midterm exit polls since 1982, George W. Bush’s 43% in 2006.
Preliminary results from the national exit poll show broad economic discontent and – relatedly – dissatisfaction with President Joe Biden’s performance. Both historically have spelled trouble for the incumbent president’s party.
According to preliminary results, 32% of voters over all called inflation the single most important issue in their vote. Abortion is a close second, at 27%, followed by crime, immigration and gun policy.
With inflation at a 40-year high, 75% say the national economy is in bad shape, up 23 points from two years ago and 44 points from four years ago. Forty-six percent said their own finances are worse now than two years ago.
