Democrats Take Their First Clear Lead Over Republicans on the Economy in More Than a Decade, Gallup Finds
In Gallup's annual governance poll, 51% of Americans say the Democratic Party would do a better job of keeping the country prosperous, versus 37% for the Republicans. It is the Democrats' largest edge on the measure since 2007 — and it lands three weeks before the midterm elections.
Americans trust the Democratic Party more than the Republican Party to keep the country prosperous, by 51% to 37%, according to Gallup’s annual governance poll — the Democrats’ first clear lead on the economic issue in more than a decade, the Washington Post reports. The finding lands three weeks before the midterm elections. Voters named the economy among their top concerns in the same poll.
The poll, conducted Sept. 1-17, puts the Democrats’ 14-point margin on prosperity at its widest since 2007, when the party led by 20 points. The turnaround is sharp: three years ago, the Republican Party held a 14-point advantage on the same question. That gap narrowed to six points in the GOP’s favor in 2024 and flipped to a four-point Democratic edge in 2025 before widening this year.
Democrats lead on other measures as well. The party is viewed favorably by 43% of Americans, against 35% for the Republicans; the Democratic rating rose six points over the past year while the Republican rating fell five. Asked which party would handle the problem they consider most important, 44% choose the Democrats and 33% the Republicans — an 11-point margin that reverses GOP leads of 11 points in 2022, eight in 2023 and five in 2024, with the parties tied last year.
The cost of living hangs over the numbers
Price pressure is everywhere in the results. Thirty percent of Americans name government or poor leadership as the country’s most important problem, the top answer since late 2024, but economic worries follow: 13% cite the high cost of living or inflation and 11% the economy in general. Inflation itself reached 3.7% in September on a jump in gasoline prices, as US News America reported, and the Federal Reserve is under pressure over its next rate move.
On national security, the parties are nearly tied: 46% say the Democrats would better protect the country from international terrorism and military threats, against 42% for the Republicans. It is only the third time since Gallup began asking the question in 2002 that the GOP has not led on it — after 2007, when the Democrats led by five points, and 2012, when the parties tied.
Why independents are driving the shift
The swing is powered by independents. Half say the Democrats would do a better job of keeping the country prosperous, compared with 32% who choose the Republicans, and four in 10 independents view the Democratic Party favorably against 27% for the GOP.
Perceptions of extremism also tilt against Republicans: 59% of Americans describe the GOP’s views and policies as too extreme, against 43% for the Democrats — the highest “too extreme” reading for either party in Gallup’s seven readings since 2000. At the same time, 50% call the Republican Party’s views too conservative, a record high, while the share calling the Democrats too liberal has fallen to 46% from 55% in 2022.
There is a limit to the good news for Democrats. Despite the party’s advantages across these measures, a majority of Americans still view the Democratic Party unfavorably overall — a reminder that beating the other side in a head-to-head question is not the same as winning over the public.
Reporting based on coverage by Gallup and the Washington Post, via Political Wire.
