Gallup: Republicans more popular than Democrats ahead of midterms

President Donald Trump smiles before speaking at the Global Call To Action on the World Drug Problem at the 73rd General Debate at the Uni...

President Donald Trump smiles before speaking at the Global Call To Action on the World Drug Problem at the 73rd General Debate at the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations Headquarters at in New York City on Monday. According to a Gallup poll, Republicans are the most popular the party has been in seven years. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI

By Ray Downs, UPI

Heading into the November midterms, the Republican Party is the most popular it has been in seven years, according to a Gallup poll released Monday.

The poll found 45 percent of Americans view Republicans favorably -- a 9-point increase from one year ago, when the GOP had a 36 percent favorable rating.

The Republicans haven't been that popular since 2011, when the party reached 45 percent after several years well under the 40 percent mark.

President Donald Trump's party now has a 1-point lead over the Democrats, who have hovered around 44 and 45 percent since 2013, except for a brief dip in late 2014 when Republicans re-gained the majority in the House and Senate during that year's midterms.

"The parity in Republicans' and Democrats' favorable ratings marks a change from what has generally been the case since Barack Obama's election as president in November 2008," Gallup stated. "Republicans have usually been rated less positively than Democrats over this time, with the Republican Party's favorability rating for the last decade averaging 39 percent, compared with the Democratic Party's 44 percent."

Among those who identify as a member, Republicans are more likely to have a favorable view of their party.

Among Republicans, 85 percent view their party favorably, compared to 80 percent of Democrats. Those numbers are similar now, but one year ago, they were quite different.

In September 2017, 67 percent of Republicans viewed their party positively, which means a nearly 20 percent increase in one year.

For Democrats, there hasn't been a change since one year ago.

"No matter how much or how little party favorability affects elections, the fact that Republicans are more likely to view their party favorably than a year ago can be considered a positive indicator for the party, particularly if a more positive image boosts Republican turnout," Gallup stated.