Generic Congressional Ballot
Generic Congressional Ballot: Republicans 44%, Democrats 36%
Tuesday, March 02, 2010 Email to a Friend ShareThis.Advertisement
Republican candidates lead Democrats by eight points in the latest edition of the Generic Congressional Ballot.
The new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 44% would vote for their district’s Republican congressional candidate while 36% would opt for his or her Democratic opponent. Voter support for GOP congressional candidates held steady from last week, while support for Democrats is up a point.
Republicans started 2010 ahead by nine points -- their largest lead in several years -- while support for Democrats fell to its lowest level over the same period. Towards the end of 2009, GOP candidates enjoyed a more modest lead over Democrats, with the gap between the two down to four points in early December. Since the beginning of the year, however, the Republican lead hasn’t dipped below seven points.
The latest numbers continue to highlight a remarkable change in the political environment over the past year. This time last year, Democrats led Republicans 41% to 39%.
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Throughout the fall and winter of 2008, support for Democratic congressional candidates ranged from 42% to 47%. Republican support ranged from 37% to 41%.
When President Obama was inaugurated, Democrats enjoyed a seven-point advantage on the Generic Ballot. The two parties were very close on the Generic Ballot throughout the spring of 2009, but Republicans pulled ahead for good in late June.
In February, the number of voters not affiliated with either major party increased by half a percentage point as both Republicans and Democrats lost further ground.
Unaffiliated voters continue to favor the GOP by a 42% to 24% margin, showing little change for several months now.
Voter unhappiness with Congress has reached the highest level ever recorded by Rasmussen Reports with 71% now saying the national legislature is doing a poor job.
A sizable majority (65%) of voters now think politics in the nation’s capital will become more partisan over the next year. That’s a 13-point jump from the 52% who felt that way just after Obama’s State of the Union speech in which he talked about trying to work with Republicans.
Views of the country's short- and long-term economic future are gloomier these days than they have been at any time since Obama took office in January of last year.
The president’s health care summit last week seems to have nudged up support, but most voters continue to oppose the health care plan proposed by the president and congressional Democrats.
Voters remain closely divided on the creation of a government-run health insurance option. But opposition increases dramatically if its creation might force people to change their existing coverage.
Forty percent (40%) of voters nationwide give President Obama good or excellent marks for leadership, but 41% rate his president's leadership as poor.
Americans are looking a little more favorably on further government regulation of the U.S. financial system as Capitol Hill lawmakers put the final touches on legislation aimed at avoiding another Wall Street meltdown.
Voter confidence in America's conduct of the War on Terror has reached its highest level since last May. Fifty percent (50%) now believe the United States and its allies are winning the War on Terror, up 12 points from last month and 14 points from late December.
Rasmussen Reports has polled on 2010 Senate races in Oklahoma, Nevada, Colorado, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, California, Indiana, Wisconsin, Washington, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Connecticut, Illinois, and Iowa. Most show a difficult political environment for Democrats.
Rasmussen Reports has also released polls on the 2010 governor’s races in Rhode Island, Kansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Wisconsin, and Texas. |
