No Partisan Advantage on Economy

On perhaps the most important issue of the 2010 midterm elections, the economy, neither party has an advantage with the public. As many Americans say the Republican Party (38%) can do a better job in dealing with the economy as say the Democratic Party (37%) can do a better job. A quarter of the public (26%) say neither party can do a better job. Early in the last election year (February 2008), Democrats held a substantial 53%-to-34% lead over Republicans on handling the economy. By February of this year, however, Republicans had closed the gap; in that poll, 41% chose the Democrats and 38% chose the GOP as better able to deal with the economy. The Republicans do have a slight advantage on a specific economic issue: taxes. The GOP is favored on taxes by 40% of Americans, while 34% say the Democrats can do a better job. As with the overall economy, the Democrats had a significant advantage on this issue in February 2008. Read More