Battleground House districts remain close in new poll

[DonViejo]

By Dan Balz and Scott Clement October 23 at 7:00 AM

The contest for control of the House remains close and hard fought, according to a new Washington Post-Schar School poll of the most-contested districts in the country, with Democrats holding a statistically insignificant lead over Republicans.

The latest survey shows only a marginal change in the race during October, with 50 percent currently supporting the Democratic candidate in their district and 47 percent backing the Republican. Candidates from the two parties collectively are running almost even in 48 contested congressional districts won by President Trump in 2016, while Democrats hold the advantage in 21 competitive districts won by Hillary Clinton. The Democrats’ lead in those Clinton districts has narrowed a bit since the beginning of the month.

The overwhelming majority of the districts surveyed — 63 of the 69 — are currently represented by a Republican in the House. Collectively these battleground districts voted strongly for Republicans in the 2016 election. The fact that the margins today are where they are illustrates the degree to which the GOP majority is at risk but also the fact that many individual races are likely to be close. Democrats need to gain a net of 23 seats to take control of the chamber.

[Read the full poll results]

Overall, likely voters in these districts give the two major parties mixed-to-negative marks. Democrats are rated favorably by 48 percent and unfavorably by 52 percent. For Republicans, it’s 47 percent positive and 53 percent negative.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/battleground-house-districts-remain-close-in-new-poll/2018/10/22/e6c77a32-d63e-11e8-aeb7-ddcad4a0a54e_story.html