Poll reveals voters favor Democrats on key issues as many lack faith in either party

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Aaron Siever has always cast his vote across party lines. Yet the 41-year-old resident of southwest Virginia finds himself increasingly exasperated by a two-party system that he believes achieves little beyond assigning mutual blame.

"There's so much turmoil," said Siever, a former police officer who now guides Civil War battlefield tours. "It really messes up chances of getting anything done. It gets really disgusting."

Heading into the Nov. 3 midterm elections, voters have expressed widespread discontent with President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, a new Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll indicates. Over a matter of months, Democrats have established a distinct lead on key issues including healthcare and the cost of living.

However, the findings highlight a deeper issue facing the wider political establishment: few registered voters believe either party possesses the capacity to address major challenges or support ordinary Americans.

This pervasive cynicism poses a significant hurdle for both Democrats and Republicans, regardless of who takes control of Congress. While dissatisfaction with Republicans continues to escalate, the electorate shows little confidence that Democrats hold a lasting remedy for the nation's difficulties.

Voters give Democrats the advantage when it comes to which party would be better to handle the cost of living, an issue that has proved to be a weak spot for Trump.

The survey finds that 38% of registered voters say the Democrats would be better for costs, compared with 27% who say that about the Republicans. The issue was about evenly split among U.S. adults in February, with about 3 in 10 saying each party would be better.

Democrats have also gained ground on the economy. About 4 in 10 registered voters now pick the Democrats, compared with 26% of U.S. adults in February.

These shifts are good news for Democratic candidates who are hammering an increasingly unpopular president — and by extension, his party. Few Americans approve of Trump's handling of the cost of living, and views of his performance on the economy are only a little better.

Voters appear to view Republicans, in particular, as focused on the wealthy. The survey finds that about 6 in 10 registered voters say the phrase "focused on helping rich and powerful people" describes the Republican Party "extremely" or "very" well. Only about 3 in 10 registered voters say the same about the Democratic Party.

While voters expressed deep dissatisfaction with Republicans, the survey indicates that voters have relatively little confidence Democrats have their problems in mind.

Democrats are less likely to be described as corrupt or focused on the wealthy than are Republicans, but not more likely to be seen as focused on ordinary people or capable of solving problems.

Only about 2 in 10 registered voters say that "able to solve important problems" or "focused on helping people like me" describes the Democratic Party "extremely" or "very" well. That is similar to the percentages who say this about the GOP.

Democrats are out of power in Washington, and that may contribute to the perception that they are unable to get traction in solving problems.

In the last year alone, the federal government partially shut down twice for weeks because of partisan disputes in Congress over spending on healthcare and immigration enforcement.

But gridlock has not been exclusive to Republican control. Despite Democratic majorities early in Democratic President Joe Biden's administration, the party did not achieve its goals on key priorities such as abortion rights, voting rights and raising the minimum wage.

Siever is frustrated by what he sees as a commitment to partisanship in Congress at the expense of progress at a time when consumers are paying higher prices for daily necessities such as groceries and gasoline.

Driving around the region to lecture and guide tours, his travel costs have soared and led him to raise his prices.

"I've really become tired of the idea that, if you're in this party, you have to be loyal to this but, if you're in that party, you have to be loyal to that," he said. "There's big problems and neither side seems able to fix them."

Meanwhile, 55% of registered voters say the Republican Party is "too extreme." Some 45% say the same about the Democratic Party.

Voters overall do not see an abundance of moderate sentiment in either party. But they are more likely to say Democrats are "too moderate" than Republicans — a reflection of the lack of unity within Democratic Party about its strategy.

Slightly fewer than half of Democratic voters say their party is "too moderate," while a similar share say it is "about right." That is a sharp contrast with Republican voters, who mostly say their party is "about right."

Voters such as Meagan Ludwig of Milwaukee illustrate the party discontent that has emerged in Wisconsin and other closely contested states this year.

Ludwig, a 41-year-old real estate broker, voted for democratic socialist Francesca Hong in the Democratic primary for governor in August, arguing the candidate seemed more committed to a policy agenda aimed at helping working families than Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.

Crowley won the primary by a half percentage point — roughly 3,800 votes — illustrating Democrats' soul-searching in the Upper Midwestern swing state.

In the November general election, Ludwig is "reluctant," but plans to vote for Crowley rather than Republican Tom Tiffany, a congressman. Ludwig hopes that Crowley, if elected, perceives the discontent about his party.

"We need to seize the opportunity to boldly enact policies that will improve the lives of Americans," said Ludwig, who is married and has an elementary school-age child. "I'm tired of us pursuing incremental change."