Polls & Research

Steady Democrats Keep Lead in U.S.

- The Democratic Party remains the most popular political organization before next month's congressional election in the United States, according to a poll by Opinion Research Corporation released by CNN. 53 per cent of respondents would support the Democratic contender in their district, while 42 per cent would vote for the Republican candidate.

Support for the Democrats increased by one point since early September, while backing for the Republicans remained stable.

In the November 2004 congressional ballot, the Republican Party elected 232 lawmakers to the United States House of Representatives with 49.2 per cent of the vote, while the Democratic Party secured 202 seats with 46.6 per cent. The Republicans also have a majority in the Senate, with 55 members in the 100-seat upper house.

On Sept. 29, Republican Florida congressman Mark Foley resigned from the House of Representatives after several suggestive e-mails and text messages he sent to former congressional pages were made public. The legislative branch's Republican leadership called the situation "unacceptable and abhorrent."

Republican House speaker Dennis Hastert has ruled out resigning over the way he handled the situation, adding, "It's heartbreaking because you work with these people all the time over the years, and then to find this is happening. To actually find out you've been duped by this guy and deceived by this guy is not a very pleasant thing to have happened."

On Oct. 3, U.S. president George W. Bush defended Hastert, saying, "I know Denny Hastert, I meet with him a lot. He is a father, teacher, coach, who cares about the children of this country. I know that he wants all the facts to come out and he wants to ensure that these children up there on Capitol Hill are protected. I'm confident he will provide whatever leadership he can to law enforcement in this investigation."

American voters will renew the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate on Nov. 7.

Polling Data

If the elections for Congress were being held today, which party's candidate would you vote for in your Congressional district? As of today, do you lean more toward?
(Registered Voters)