The latest polling shows Republicans are trusted more than Democrats on three of the top voter issues: the economy, immigration, and crime.
CNN data analyst Harry Enten broke down the numbers from a Washington Post/IPSOS poll published last week.
He highlighted that Republicans hold a 7-point advantage over Democrats when it comes to handling the economy, a 13-point lead on the issue of immigration, and a 22-point margin over Democrats on dealing with crime.
Enten further noted that these numbers are despite respondents in the same survey saying that they disapprove of President Donald Trump’s job performance by a 56 to 43 percent margin. They also disapprove of Trump’s handling of the three key issues by double-digit margins.
“At this particular point, the ball may be on the ground, but the Democrats have not picked up the ball and run with it. If anything, at this particular point, it is the Republicans who are running with the ball on the top issues: the economy, immigration, and crime,” he said.
The Republican Party is still more trusted than the Democratic Party on Americans’ top issues:
• The economy: +7
• Immigration: +13
• Crime: +22Watch the segment from @ForecasterEnten:pic.twitter.com/MsJpbFH936
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) September 22, 2025
As a reference point, Enten also looked back at the numbers going into the 2022 midterm elections.
Republicans were also on top with a 12-point advantage regarding the economy, 3 points with immigration, and 13 points in the handling of crime.
Do you support the GOP staying in control of Congress?
The Republicans took back control of the House in that election, which the Democrats had held for the previous six years.
Enten further noted that in the latest Washington Post/IPSOS survey, independents favor the Republicans by 1 percentage point with the economy, 10 points regarding immigration, and 21 points with the issue of crime.
He argued that the economy likely will be the top issue going into the midterms.
Which Party Do You Trust On Issues
Crime: 🔴 Republicans +22
Immigration: 🔴 Republicans +13
Economy: 🔴 Republicans +7Washington Post | September 11-15 pic.twitter.com/DMiWxEVArk
— OSZ (@OpenSourceZone) September 19, 2025
Enten concluded, as of now, “Whatever Democrats are doing, it ain’t working.”
One other statistic worth pointing out is that 53 percent of respondents said they would like Democrats to control Congress as a check on Trump, versus 42 percent, who said they wanted Republican control of the two legislative chambers to support the president’s agenda.
That number was little changed from February of this year, when 54 percent said they wanted Democrats in charge, and 41 percent wanted the GOP in control.
In September 2022, just two months from the midterms, 45 percent said they wanted Democrats in charge, compared to 48 percent who wanted Republicans.
The latest poll was conducted from Sept. 11-15 among 2,513 U.S. adults, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
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