GOP Set for Big Gains as Voters Voice Anger
From The Wall Street Journal:
Republicans are positioned for large gains Tuesday, likely retaking the House and picking up seats in the Senate, amid strong voter frustration with President Barack Obama and the Democratic-run Congress, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.
Republicans held a six-point edge, 49% to 43%, when likely voters were asked which party they hoped would be in charge.
Nearly half of voters who favored GOP control of Congress said their feelings reflected a vote of protest against the Democrats—an unusually high proportion that pollsters said reflected deep frustration among many voters.
Mr. Obama ended a pre-election campaign swing Sunday in Cleveland with a call for Democrats to vote Tuesday. But the poll results suggest he is turning off many swing voters—the same voters who are expected to decide close races.
A majority of likely voters in the survey, 52%, disapproved of Mr. Obama's job performance, while one-third of independents approved.
"The Democrats are about to feel the full force of a tidal wave, tsunami or a 7.0 earthquake," said Democratic pollster Peter Hart, who co-directs the survey with Republican pollster Bill McInturff.
Mr. McInturff said the poll results were a "grim set of data that projects a larger election for Republicans than 1994."
That year, the GOP swept into power with a net gain of 54 House seats. This year, Republicans need a net gain of 39 seats to win the House.
In the Senate, the GOP is expected to make gains. But the non-partisan Cook Political Report concluded Sunday the party's chances of retaking the chamber were "non-existent."
The newsletter predicted a Republican gain of six to eight seats, which would give the GOP 47 to 49 seats in the 100-member Senate.
In a last-minute twist, Republicans expressed concern Sunday about the possibility that a little-known Democratic Senate candidate in Alaska, Sitka Mayor Scott McAdams, could slip past a fading tea party-backed [and Palin-backed] Republican, Joe Miller. The incumbent, Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, is waging a write-in campaign after losing the primary.
Republicans are positioned for large gains Tuesday, likely retaking the House and picking up seats in the Senate, amid strong voter frustration with President Barack Obama and the Democratic-run Congress, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.
Republicans held a six-point edge, 49% to 43%, when likely voters were asked which party they hoped would be in charge.
Nearly half of voters who favored GOP control of Congress said their feelings reflected a vote of protest against the Democrats—an unusually high proportion that pollsters said reflected deep frustration among many voters.
Mr. Obama ended a pre-election campaign swing Sunday in Cleveland with a call for Democrats to vote Tuesday. But the poll results suggest he is turning off many swing voters—the same voters who are expected to decide close races.
A majority of likely voters in the survey, 52%, disapproved of Mr. Obama's job performance, while one-third of independents approved.
"The Democrats are about to feel the full force of a tidal wave, tsunami or a 7.0 earthquake," said Democratic pollster Peter Hart, who co-directs the survey with Republican pollster Bill McInturff.
Mr. McInturff said the poll results were a "grim set of data that projects a larger election for Republicans than 1994."
That year, the GOP swept into power with a net gain of 54 House seats. This year, Republicans need a net gain of 39 seats to win the House.
In the Senate, the GOP is expected to make gains. But the non-partisan Cook Political Report concluded Sunday the party's chances of retaking the chamber were "non-existent."
The newsletter predicted a Republican gain of six to eight seats, which would give the GOP 47 to 49 seats in the 100-member Senate.
In a last-minute twist, Republicans expressed concern Sunday about the possibility that a little-known Democratic Senate candidate in Alaska, Sitka Mayor Scott McAdams, could slip past a fading tea party-backed [and Palin-backed] Republican, Joe Miller. The incumbent, Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, is waging a write-in campaign after losing the primary.
posted by Sid Cottingham | 9:57 AM
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