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Democrat Lead Down to Three Points in U.S.
(Angus Reid Global Scan) - The congressional election in the United States could be closer than expected, according to a poll by Opinion Dynamics released by Fox News. 41 per cent of respondents would vote for the Democratic candidate in their congressional district, while 38 per cent would support the Republican contender.
Two-in-ten voters would vote for other parties, or remain undecided. Support for the Democrats fell by seven points since March, while backing for the Republicans increased by four points.
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.
Yesterday, U.S. president George W. Bush confirmed the nomination of Air Force general Michael Hayden as the new director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Michigan congressman Peter Hoekstra—the chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence—referred to Hayden as "the wrong person at the wrong time in the wrong place." Democratic Delaware senator Joseph Biden said the CIA "could be absorbed into the Pentagon" under Hayden's stewardship.
American voters will renew the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate on Nov. 7.
Polling Data
Thinking ahead to this November's elections, if the congressional election were held today, would you vote for the Democratic candidate in your district or the Republican candidate in your district?
May 2006 | Mar. 2006 | |
Democrat | 41% | 48% |
Republican | 38% | 34% |
Other / Not sure | 21% | 18% |
Source: Opinion Dynamics / Fox News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 900 registered American voters, conducted on May 2 and May 3, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
