Though it may seem inherently contradictory, the generic ballot question can provide very specific information about the electorate and its mood. But, as the Poll Hub team discusses, analysis of the generic ballot question cannot occur in a vacuum. It must be discussed in light of the president’s job approval rating. On this episode of Poll Hub, Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, Director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, Dr. Barbara L. Carvalho, Director of The Marist College Poll, and political journalist and tech entrepreneur Jay DeDapper, expound upon recent historical precedent which indicates that the lower the president’s job approval rating is, the worse the president’s political party performs in the midterm elections. As such, the generic ballot question acts as a measurement of the brands of the Democratic and Republican parties.