Friday, September 12, 2008

Gallup congressional poll shows Republicans gaining

In a stunning reversal, Republicans are now within a few points or leading Democrats in the generic congressional ballot question which asks voters which party's candidate they would support in their congressional district election. Just a few months ago, Democrats held a 15 point lead, 55-40 percent. Now, Republicans have closed that deficit to just 3 points (a 48-45 Democratic lead among registered voters) and among likely voters, Republicans now lead by 5 points, 50-45 percent. See more here.

Additionally, the enthusiam gap among voters of both parties has tightened. While Democrats enjoyed a double-digit lead in enthusiasm for their candidate for most of the year, Republicans are about just as enthusiastic as their counterparts, 60 percent to 67 percent.

As Republicans gain in congressional election polls, McCain continues to lead Obama in national polls and gain on leads on most issues of importance to the American people, and Sarah Palin continues to have higher favorability ratings than all 3 other national candidates, Democrats are taking note of this ominous sign. A recent news article interviews several Democratic candidates who fret that McCain's popularity and Obama's gaffes and inability to connect with voters will damage their party's chances in November. Campaign managers of Democrats running in swing districts are urging their candidates to distance themselves from Obama and refrain from attacking McCain.

"Democrats on Capitol Hill Fear Obama Fallout (Financial Times)"

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