By DPA,
Washington: A new poll released Wednesday showed that US voters are likely to turn control of Congress’ lower chamber over to Republicans in Nov 2 elections in the latest sign of problems for President Barack Obama’s Democrats.
A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll showed that 50 percent of Americans prefer to see centre-right Republican majorities in Congress, while only 43 percent favour the centre-left Democrats.
The struggling US economy has been the focus of the mid-term elections. The poll showed only 37 percent believe the economy will improve in the next 12 months, while 41 percent say it will stay the same.
Obama is facing a major challenge to keep control of the House of Representatives. The Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll’s evaluation showed Republicans are poised to gain 52 or 53 seats, surpassing the net gain of 39 seats needed to win the majority.
“It’s unlikely the Democratic House will be left standing,” said Peter Hart, a Democratic pollster involved in the survey.
The Democrats are believed to have a better chance of retaining control in the Senate.
The poll showed 59 percent of respondents believed the country was heading in the wrong direction. Thirty-two percent said it was going in the right direction.
The poll of 1,000 registered voters was taken Oct 14-18 with a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.