Democrats leading in Texas, Michigan Senate races: Polling

Democrats are leading in the Texas and Michigan Senate races, according to new polling .

The CNN polls released Thursday found 49 percent of respondents backed or leaned toward Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, while 42 percent said the same of Republican Mike Rogers in the Michigan Senate race. Five percent said they didn’t back either candidate, 3 percent backed or leaned toward another candidate and 1 percent had “no opinion.”

In Texas, 49 percent of respondents backed or leaned toward Democrat James Talarico, while 43 percent went with Republican Ken Paxton. Five percent said they didn’t back either candidate, and 3 percent backed or leaned toward supporting someone else.

The Michigan and Texas Senate races are among the most-watched elections this year, with the Wolverine State’s status as a swing state and Democrats long eyeing a statewide win in the Lone Star State.

Democrats are also dealing with a friendly political environment this cycle, with issues like the Iran war, President Trump’s sagging approval rating and concerns about the cost of living weighing the GOP down.

In the Texas poll, 59 percent said they “disapprove” of Trump’s job performance, and 41 percent said they “approve” of his work. In Michigan, 66 percent said they were down on the president’s job performance, while 33 percent approved of it. One percent in the Wolverine State had “no opinion” on Trump’s work in his role.

Trump’s national approval rating was sitting at 38.7 percent on Thursday morning, according to a polling average from The Hill’s partner Decision Desk HQ, with his disapproval rating at 59.3 percent.

The CNN polls in Texas and Michigan took place from Oct. 20-27, featuring 768 Michigan registered voters and 923 Texas registered voters. The Michigan poll’s margin of error was 4.7 percentage points, while the Texas poll’s was 4.2 percentage points.