Election 2006

Polls show little boost for GOP in generic ballot.

On a typical day in August, 26 million Americans were using the internet for news or information about politics and the upcoming mid-term elections.

Summary of Findings As the congressional midterm campaign begins in earnest, the mood of the electorate is sharply drawn. Voters are disappointed with Congress and disapproving of President Bush. Anti-incumbent sentiment, while a bit lower than a few months ago, is far more extensive than in the previous two midterms and remains close to 1994 […]

A comparison of key political and economic indicators that will help shape this November's mid-term election with the same indicators taken at the same stage of the previous four mid-term campaigns offers good and bad news to both parties.

Democratic leaders, impressed by the purported success of GOP-backed ballot initiatives to ban same sex marriage in the 2004 election are pushing their own wedge initiatives to increase the minimum wage. But are such ballot measures really as potent as claimed?

Summary of Findings With less than five months to go before Election Day, Democrats hold two distinct advantages in the midterm campaign that they have not enjoyed for some time. First, Americans continue to say they favor the Democratic candidate in their district, by a 51% to 39% margin. Second, the level of enthusiasm about […]

Although President Bush's approval rating has declined as much among white evangelicals as among the public as a whole, so far evangelicals don't seem likely to abandon the GOP this fall.

Summary of Findings The American public is angry with Congress, and this is bad news for the Republican Party. The belief that this Congress has accomplished less than its predecessors is markedly higher than at any point in the past nine years, and by a wide margin Republican leaders are blamed for this. Many more […]

This election year, two heavyweight political trends are poised for collision: GOP unpopularity and the growing power of incumbency.

Summary of Findings Nine months before the midterm elections, the Democrats hold a sizable lead in the congressional horse race and an advantage on most major issues. Democrats lead by 50%-41% among registered voters in the test ballot, which is little changed from last September (52%-40%). While retaining a huge advantage on traditional party strengths […]