New poll predicts unprecedented defeat for House Republicans in 2018

House Democrats are preparing to focus like a laser on the unpopular House Speaker Paul Ryan — someone who is also being targeted by the fringe of his own party.

And congressional Republicans were already in trouble: they’re raising less money and they’re pre-emptively losing members to retirement.

And now they face an unprecedented 16-point deficit when voters are asked which party they would vote for in their district.

The midterm elections are 13 months away, but signs already point to a possible wave election cycle for Democrats, as Republicans are saddled with an increasingly and historically unpopular president.

Today, 54 percent of registered voters would choose a Democrat in the next congressional election, compared to 38 percent who prefer a Republican, according to the CNN poll conducted by SSRS.

In the last eight years that CNN has been asking that survey question, this is the first time the GOP has ever polled below 40 percent.

What are the possible ramifications of a massive 16-point lead? Consider that on the eve of the 2016 election, the same CNN poll found Democrats enjoyed a two-point advantage over Republicans. Democrats then went on to pick up six seats in the House and two seats in the Senate.

The margin has widened so dramatically because voter preference for the GOP has plummeted from 47 percent to 38 percent since 2016. Meanwhile, Democratic support among its party faithful comes in at an astronomical 98 percent, according to CNN.

The makings of an electoral wave come as more and more Republicans privately fear looming impeachment proceedings if Democrats gain control of the House next year. “When Democrats take control of the House they will absolutely move for articles of impeachment,” one Trump confidant told CNN.

But some Republicans have their eyes wide open about where the country is heading. As former GOP Rep. David Jolly put it bluntly, “We might be better off as a republic if [Democrats] take the House in 2018.”

The rising panic also comes against the backdrop of a Trump White House still searching for its first major legislative victory. Republicans control the White House, the Senate, and the House — yet they’ve been unable to advance any kind of agenda.

Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon has been crowing about a “war” he wants to wage with incumbent members of Congress, vowing to purge unfaithful members of the Republican Party through 2018 primary challenges.

And as polling shows, the voters are eager to see them go.