WASHINGTON: US Demo-crats’ chances at regaining majorities in Congress are rising, a new poll showed Wednesday, as President Donald Trump’s approval rating suffers a fresh hit and Republicans issue dire warnings about upcoming elections.

With 55 days until the mid-terms that will decide congressional, state and local races nationwide, the Republicans who control both chambers of Congress appear increasingly threatened by a resurgent opposition.

The worry among Republicans has risen to such levels that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell recently likened his party’s efforts to hold their Senate majority to a “knife fight in an alley.”

Asked in the latest NPR/Marist poll which party they are more likely to vote for in their congressional districts in November, Americans chose Democrats by a 12-point advantage.

The shift is particularly acute in the US Midwest, where Democrats have enjoyed a 13-point swing in their direction since July, according to the poll.

Trump’s trade wars are unpopular in the Midwest, where tariffs imposed in retaliation for his aggressive levies on cars, steel and other imports have hurt manufacturing and farming operations.

In the poll of 949 adults, half of voters (50 percent) said they were more likely to vote for the Democrat in their district over the Republican (38 percent) — an increase from July, when the Democratic edge was 47 to 40 percent.

Heaping further pressure on poor Republican numbers is Trump’s unpopularity.—AFP