Sunday, February 17, 2008
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that, if the Congressional Election were held today, 44% of American voters say they would vote for the Democrat in their district and 40% would opt for the Republican. That’s the first time the Republicans have reached the 40% level of support in more than a year. It’s also the second consecutive month that the Democrat’s advantage has been in single digits. A month ago, Democrats enjoyed a five-point lead. Two months ago, they had a ten-point edge over the GOP.
Democrats lead by thirteen among women while Republicans lead by six among men.
Unaffiliated voters are evenly divided between the parties—32% say they’ll vote for a Republican, 32% for a Democrat, 13% for a third-party option, and 23% remain undecided. A month ago, Democrats had a six-point lead among unaffiliated voters. Two months ago, they enjoyed a twenty-point advantage.
Just 15% of Americans currently give Congress good or excellent marks for their legislative efforts. Bleak as those numbers are, they reflect a two-point gain compared to last month.
While the GOP has closed the gap on the Generic Congressional Ballot in recent months, the number of people who consider themselves to be Democrats has just reached the highest level in three years.
Thirty-six percent (36%) of voters say Democrats are Very Likely to retain control of Congress following the 2008 elections. Another 36% say they are Somewhat Likely to retain control. That totals 72%, little changed from December.
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