Polls & Research
Archive Search
Democrats Gain in U.S. Congressional Race
- The Democratic Party remains the most popular political organization before next month's congressional ballot in the United States, according to a poll by Princeton Survey Research Associates released by Newsweek. 51 per cent of respondents would vote for the Democratic contender in their district, while 37 per cent would support the Republican candidate.
Support for the Democrats increased by one point since late August, while backing for the Republicans dropped by the same margin. Voters in the United States will renew the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate on Nov. 7.
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 Oct. 15, Democratic National Committee (DNC) chairman Howard Dean discussed the election, saying, "We always see the Republicans coming out, 'Your country's going to be blown up if the Democrats take over, your taxes are going to go up.' They are desperate. The truth is we believe that we ought to increase the pay of average middle-class Americans and working-class Americans."
Polling Data
Suppose the elections for the U.S. Congress were being held today. Would you vote for the Republican Party's candidate or the Democratic Party's candidate for Congress in your district?
(Leaners included)
Oct. 20 | Aug. 25 | |
Democratic Party | 51% | 50% |
Republican Party | 37% | 38% |
Undecided / Other | 12% | 12% |
Source: Princeton Survey Research Associates / Newsweek
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 American adults, conducted on Oct. 19 and Oct. 20, 2006. Margin of error is 4 per cent.