Polls: Throw the bums out!

Democrats Maintain Wide Lead in Congressional Vote Intentions

Lead Republicans 54% to 39% among registered voters

by Jeffrey M. Jones Gallup Poll May 3, 2006 ...The current Democratic advantage is mostly due to strong support among independents for Democratic candidates. Independent registered voters show a decided preference for the Democratic House candidate in their district, 53% to 29%. The Democrats' cause is aided to a lesser extent by their slight advantage in maintaining party loyalty, as 95% of Democratic registered voters and 89% of Republican registered voters are supporting their own party's candidates for Congress.... Recent Gallup data show that Americans currently hold members of Congress in low esteem. The institution's approval rating (23%) is the lowest in over a decade and is approaching historic lows. The current poll finds 77% of Americans saying most members of Congress are "out of touch with average Americans," and 65% saying that most members are "focused on the needs of special interests" over the needs of their constituents.
The majority party Republicans could find some solace in the fact that even when Americans have been critical of Congress, most incumbent members are re-elected. Recent redistricting after the 2000 census may have helped to insulate incumbents from partisan forces even more so than in the past. Nevertheless, the public's desire to change the composition of Congress is now the strongest it has been since the term limits movements of the early 1990s.
The current poll finds a majority of registered voters (53%) saying that most members of Congress do not deserve re-election, the first time that level has been reached since 1992. Currently, just 38% think most members deserve to be re-elected. ... more