(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The Democratic Party remains ahead in the early stages of the 2008 United States congressional campaign, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports. 46 per cent of respondents would support the Democrats in next year’s ballot, unchanged since late June.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The Democratic Party remains ahead in the early stages of the 2008 United States congressional campaign, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports. 46 per cent of respondents would support the Democrats in next year’s ballot, unchanged since late June.
Conversely, 37 per cent of respondents would vote for Republican Party candidates—up three points in a month—four per cent would support a third party, and 13 per cent are undecided.
American voters renewed the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate in November 2006. In January, the Democratic Party took control of the lower house for the first time since 1994, with 233 lawmakers. A victory for the Democratic candidates for the Senate in Montana and Virginia also gave the party a majority in the upper house. Democratic California congresswoman Nancy Pelosi became the first female speaker of the House.
Earlier this month, Democratic California senator Dianne Feinstein discussed a proposal to revamp the country’s voting systems, saying, “My sense is there’s no way to get this thing in place by the election of 2008. Without adequate time, we could cause real problems in the election.”
The butterfly ballot is said to have confused many voters in Florida’s Palm Beach County during the 2000 presidential election. Although the Democratic ticket was listed second in the left page, they were in fact the third hole in the middle of the ballot. Although touch screen machines have been used in many American states, some do not print out a record of the vote, making it impossible to conduct a manual recount.
Polling Data
Generic Congressional Ballot
Jul. 17 | Jun. 21 | May 31 | |
Democratic Party | 46% | 46% | 45% |
Republican Party | 37% | 34% | 38% |
Third Party | 4% | 6% | 5% |
Not sure | 13% | 14% | 12% |
Source: Rasmussen Reports
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,029 likely American voters, conducted on Jul. 16 and Jul. 17, 2007. Margin of error is 4 per cent.
