GOP trails Democrats by 8 points on congressional ballot in new poll

Republicans are trailing Democrats by about 8 points on a generic congressional ballot, according to a new poll from Emerson College and The Hill.

In the survey, 50.7 percent of respondents said they would back a Democrat if the midterm elections were held that day, and 43 percent said they would back a Republican, with 6.3 percent unsure.

Democrats would need to flip four Senate seats and net four House seats to clinch control of Congress.

The poll comes amid rocky political territory for the GOP as they head into this year’s midterms. Republicans are facing President Trump’s slumping approval rating, an unpopular Iran war and concerns about the economy.

The economy remains the top issue among voters, according to the Thursday poll. Meanwhile, opposition to the war in Iran has increased by 2 points while support for the operation has decreased by 4 points.

Trump’s approval rating has remained steady at around 40 percent in Emerson polling since April. According to a polling average from Decision Desk HQ, Trump’s approval rating was 40.4 percent on Wednesday afternoon, with his disapproval rating at 56.3 percent .

Earlier this month, the president told Punchbowl News that voters are “angry” at congressional Republicans — not him. Still, some Republicans see Trump as a growing liability ahead of the midterms.

On Wednesday, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said he was “worried” about the GOP’s chances of holding onto control of Congress in the wake of the midterms.

“I’m worried that I’m not seeing the clear message from Republicans, what is the plan of why you should stay in the majority?” McCarthy told Fox News’s Dana Perino.

The former Speaker questioned what Republicans’ economic plan is going into next year and what the party’s latest victories have been as examples. He said that some states’ elections worried him.

The Emerson College/The Hill poll took place from Aug. 16 to 17, featuring 1,000 likely voters and 3 percentage points as its credibility interval.