Kornacki Offers Hope For GOP in Midterms

While polls predict a successful midterm election for Democrats, NBC News chief data analyst Steve Kornacki said there is still hope for Republicans.

The midterms hold significant importance since the Democratic Party has a chance to take control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. This, in turn, would impact President Donald Trump’s ability to push his agenda.

On Sunday’s “Meet The Press with Kristen Welker,” Kornacki showcased figures showing how Trump — as well as the Republican Party — was in worse shape than his first midterms in 2018.

According to NBC’s latest polling, Trump had a 40% approval rating and a 60% disapproval rating. In 2018, his net approval was still in the negatives, but he is in worse shape today.

“So by this metric, he is in worse shape heading into his second midterm than into his first one,” Kornacki said.

Concerning the economy, 68% approved of Trump’s handling of the economy in 2018. NBC’s latest poll showed that number had fallen to 26%.

“Barely one quarter of voters say they are satisfied with it,” Kornacki said. “Almost three quarters say they’re dissatisfied. Again, compare this to Trump’s first midterm in 2018. I think this is why his standing in that approval rating is lower now because look at this: in 2018, the economy was his strong suit. Nearly 70% of voters on the eve of that midterm were satisfied with it. Total opposite right now.”

But Kornacki said things could be worse for the GOP.

The data revealed that Republicans still had a higher net approval than Democrats, which could be enough to help the GOP retain control of Congress.