7/6: Electoral Danger for Congressional Incumbents
July 6, 2010 by Marist Poll
Filed under Featured, National, National Poll Archive, Politics
Members of the U.S. Congress up for re-election this year are walking a tightrope with voters. If November’s elections were held today, voters divide about whether they would support their current elected official or if they would vote for someone else. 43% report they would support someone else while 42% think they would cast their ballot for the incumbent. 15% are unsure.
“The big question for this election cycle is whether voters’ dissatisfaction will result in wholesale turnover of incumbents,” says Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, Director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion.
There has been little change on this question from when Marist last asked it in its March survey. At that time, 45% reported said they would like a fresh face representing them while 41% wanted their current member of Congress to stick around. 14% were unsure.
Opinions run along party lines. While a majority of Democrats — 55% — believe they will support the incumbent, a majority of Republicans — 52% — say they will vote for someone else. Independent voters more closely side with the GOP here. Nearly half — 49% — of Independents report they will cast their ballot for someone new. Similar proportions of Democrats and Republicans held these views in March when 54% of Democrats thought they would support their current elected official and half of Republicans — 50% — said they would look for an alternative. However, there has been a slight drop among the proportion independents who say they will vote for a Congressional challenger. 53% of independent voters held this view in March.
Table: U.S. Congress — Incumbent or Other?
Table: U.S. Congress – Incumbent or Other? (Over Time)
Click on the graph to enlarge the image.
“Find a New Path for the Nation,” Says Majority
When thinking about the way things are going in the country, 56% of U.S. residents say the nation is headed in the wrong direction while 37% believe it is moving along the right track. 7% are unsure. In Marist’s March survey, 53% reported the nation needed a new course while 43% felt it was on the right path. 4%, at the time, were unsure.
Table: Right or Wrong Direction of the Country
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Poll members of the local construction unions. IE Laborers Local 17 of Newburgh, half of its 800 members are drawing unemployment. How do they feel about the Republicans, who are blocking their unemployment. A lot of the members of Local 17 are Republican, including the Supervisor of the Town of Marlborough, Chris Cerone.
[...] new Marist Poll finds members of Congress up for re-election are in political danger. With less than four months [...]
[...] July 6th, 2010 by Quiz Master by Emily SwansonMarist 6/17-24/10; 1,004 adults, 3% margin of error 813 registered voters, 3.5% margin of error Mode: Live telephone interviews (Marist release) [...]
[...] Poll has survey results that suggest members of Congress should be worried about the mood of [...]
Geez the Democrats have the White House, huge majorities in the Senate and House, and the unions are whining about Republicans ‘blocking’ something? Maybe if the unions woke up they would notice that the Democrats with their higher taxes, increased regulation, massive growth of government, spiraling deficits, and feckless health care ‘reform’ are blocking something far more important than unemployment ‘benefits’. The Democrats are blocking JOB CREATION.
Can the country afford this kind of liberal government? Are you better off now than in 2007 when the Democrats took Congress? Well, are you?
[...] voters are unhappy with Congress. The latest Marist poll (MoE +/- 3), with trend [...]
Well educated, liberal-minded democrats seem to be happy with the way things are going.
I don’t see a problem with that.
Maybe conservative republicans just need a better education.