A new poll shows ominous signs for Republicans in 2018

New polls show voters want Democrats to control Congress.Senate Democrats have a tough electoral map in 2018.Many congressional Republican leaders and political pundits were quick to write-off Doug Jones' upset victory in Alabama as a fluke win against an extremely vulnerable opponent.But recent polls suggest that the incoming Alabama senator-elect's victory may be a part of a larger trend that could spell trouble for Republicans in next year's midterm elections.A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll released on Sunday found that 50% of people said they want Democrats to lead Congress after the 2018 midterm elections, compared to 39% who said they hoped Republicans would retain congressional control.According to the Journal, the survey result represents a 4-point increase from a similar survey taken in October, and it is the first double-digit advantage for the party since shortly before the 2008 presidential election that resulted in a Democratic super-majority in the Senate, and control of both congressional chambers.The telephone poll was conducted between December 13-15 among 900 adults, and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2% points.Other recent polls suggest that despite a difficult senate map, Democrats have a strong advantage heading into 2018.A Monmouth University survey released on Wednesdayconducted by telephone, and with a plus-or-minus 3.5% margin of error found that 51% of registered voters said they would vote for or lean toward a Democratic candidate if the 2018 elections were held today, compared to just 36% who said they would vote or lean Republican.Democratic preference in both polls was slightly above data site 538's polling aggregator, which on Sunday showed that 48.5% of voters who said they would support a generic Democratic candidate in 2018, compared to 37.6% who preferred a generic Republican.Still, there were some bright spots for Republicans in Sunday's survey.President Donald Trump's approval rating increased by three points to 41%, still an historic low for a modern president finishing out his first year in office.Other recent polls suggest that goodwill toward Democrats may be more complicated than the Journal poll suggests.A CNN poll released in November found that only 37% of Americans held a favorable view of the Democratic party, compared to 54% of Americans who had an unfavorable view of Democrats, the highest number since CNN began polling the party in 1992.That telephone poll surveyed 1,021 Americans and had a margin-of-error of plus or minus 3.6% points.SEE ALSO:Tucker Carlson explains why he has avoided covering sexual-harassment stories about Fox NewsDON'T MISS:'Decency wins': Republicans celebrate a blow to their own partyJoin the conversation about this storyNOW WATCH: A mother and daughter stopped speaking after Trump was elected ' here's their emotional first conversation after the long silence
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