With the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and threats from China and cybersecurity, a large majority of voters (80%) think national security will be an important issue in this year's midterms.
A total of 44% say it will be very important. Only 14% don’t think national security will be important in the midterms.
In the latest Rasmussen Reports national survey, 42% believe Russia's invasion of Ukraine has made America’s national security situation worse; 12% think it has made U.S. security better; and 38% say it has not made much difference.
In terms of President Joe Biden's handling of national security, 38% of voters think he is doing a good or excellent job, while 44% give Biden a poor rating on national security.
Among voters who rate Biden excellent for his handling of national security, only 22% think Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has made America’s situation worse. By contrast, among those who rate Biden poor on national security, 56% believe the Russian invasion has worsened America’s national security.
More Republicans (55%) than Democrats (31%) or unaffiliated voters (41%) believe Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has made America’s national security situation worse.
Although 72% of Democrats rate Biden good or excellent on national security issues, that opinion is shared by only 14% of Republicans and 30% of voters not affiliated with either major party. A total of 79% of Republicans and 44% of unaffiliated voters give Biden a poor rating on his handling of national security, as do 11% of Democrats.
People of all political persuasions think national security issues will be at least important in the midterms, including 85% of Republicans, 83% of Democrats, and 75% of unaffiliated voters.
Voters 65 and older are most likely to believe the Russian invasion of Ukraine has worsened U.S. national security.
Along racial lines, 45% of whites, 30% of black voters, and 41% of other minorities believe Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has worsened America’s national security situation. Thirty-eight percent of whites, 55% of black voters, and 34% of other minorities rate Biden good or excellent on national security issues.
While 28% of government employees rate Biden excellent on national security, just 15% of private sector workers agree.
Voters with annual incomes above $200,000 are most likely to rate Biden excellent on his handling of national security issues, while those with incomes between $30,000 and $50,000 are most likely to give Biden a poor rating on national security.
By a 6-point margin, voters view the midterms as being more about President Biden than individual candidates and issues, and half say a Republican win means Biden should change course.
The survey of 1,000 U.S. likely voters was conducted on Sept. 14-15, 2022 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC.
© 2023 Newsmax. All rights reserved.