(Angus Reid Global Scan) – Many American voters would support the Democratic Party in this year’s election to the United States Congress, according to a poll by TNS released by the Washington Post and ABC News. 52 per cent of respondents would vote for the Democratic contender in their congressional district, while 39 per cent would back the Republican candidate.
(Angus Reid Global Scan) – Many American voters would support the Democratic Party in this year’s election to the United States Congress, according to a poll by TNS released by the Washington Post and ABC News. 52 per cent of respondents would vote for the Democratic contender in their congressional district, while 39 per cent would back the Republican candidate.
Eight per cent of respondents would vote for other parties or remain undecided. Support for the Democrats remained stable since May, while backing for the Republicans fell by one point.
In the November 2004 congressional ballot, the Republican Party elected 232 lawmakers to the House of Representatives, while the Democratic Party secured 202 seats. The Republicans also have a majority in the Senate, with 55 members in the 100-seat upper house.
On Jun. 27, U.S. president George W. Bush urged lawmakers to provide him with the possibility of nullifying selective clauses in legislation, declaring, “A line-item veto would be a vital tool that a president could use to target spending that lawmakers tack on to the large spending bills. That’s called earmarking, and that’s become quite a controversial subject here in Washington, D.C.”
Democratic California senator Dianne Feinstein disagreed with Bush’s reliance on signing statements, saying, “I believe this new use (.) is a means to undermine and weaken the law, and that should be a serious concern to all Americans.”
American voters will renew the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate on Nov. 7.
Polling Data
If the election for the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2006 were being held today, would you vote for the Democratic candidate or the Republican candidate in your congressional district?
(Leaners included)
Jun. 2006 | May 2006 | Apr. 2006 | |
Democratic candidate | 52% | 52% | 55% |
Republican candidate | 39% | 40% | 40% |
Other | 1% | 1% | – |
Neither | 3% | 3% | 2% |
Will not vote | 1% | 1% | – |
No opinion | 4% | 3% | 3% |
Source: TNS / Washington Post / ABC News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 American adults, conducted from Jun. 22 to Jun. 25, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
Complete Poll (PDF)
