President Obama might be right: Nancy Pelosi could become House speaker again.
A new Rasmussen poll just released finds that Democrats lead Republicans on the generic congressional ballot for roughly the first time in two-and-a-half years, a period that brought the nation the Tea Party and the overwhelming GOP victory in the 2010 midterm elections.
According to the new poll, 41 percent of likely voters would choose the Democrat in their district’s congressional race, while 40 percent would go for the generic Republican.
Said Rasmussen, “Since the week of June 15, 2009, Republicans have led on the ballot every week but one, leading by as much as 12 points and as little as one. The last time the Democrats earned this much support was when the two parties were tied at 41% each in mid-November.”
Of course, the approval ratings of both House parties is dismally low, but the switch to the Democrats in the generic ballot is a possible sign that voters might be souring on the Republicans who fought Obama over spending last year, led by the new Tea Party class.
A look deeper in the polls found that women more than men shifted allegiances. Some 47 percent of men would chose the Republican on a generic House ballot while 46 percent of women would go with the Democrat.
The difference between the races was even greater. Some 88 percent of African-Americans would chose the Democrat while 47 percent of all white likely voters would chose the Democrat. Younger voters also overwhelming side with the Democrats.
“Voters have a deep sense of buyer’s remorse and are sending a clear message that House Republicans majority is in peril,” said Jesse Ferguson, spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Rasmussen’s is not the first to note the shift in voter sentiment. Other recent polls have shown an even greater Democratic edge in the generic ballot.
Reach Paul Bedard at @whispersbedard or [email protected].
