Poll: GOP More Excited About Elections Than Democrats, Could Retake House
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
July 22, 2010
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — A new poll finds Republican voters are more excited about the upcoming November congressional elections than are Democrats. That enthusiasm gap has produced victories for pro-life candidates already in off-year elections and it could result in more victories and potentially retaking one or both houses of Congress.
The new national survey from the Public Policy Polling Institute, which leans Democratic, finds "enthusiasm gap is still out there and certainly a problem Democrats are going to have to contend with this fall."
The survey found 66% of Republicans ‘very excited’ about voting this fall to only 51% of Democrats, for a 15 point gap.
Similar enthusiasm gaps helped pro-life and Republican candidates — with polls showing it was 26 points in Massachusetts when voters elected Scott Brown to help try to stop the pro-abortion health care bill. Then, about 89% of Republicans and 63% of Democrats were very excited about voting.
The enthusiasm gap was 26 points in Virginia as well where 64% of Republicans and 38% of Democrats were very excited about voting.
The enthusiasm gap is also larger than the one in New Jersey — it was 12 points there with 47% of Republicans and 35% of Democrats ‘very excited’ about voting — that produced an election victory for pro-life Governor Chris Christie.
PPP’s post-poll analysis said the gap helps Republicans but cautioned that it thinks it may not result in an overwhelming landslide.
"The results of those races certainly don’t bode well for Democratic prospects this fall but it’s still important to emphasize that they were not ‘normal,’" the polling firm said. "Disparities in enthusiasm are likely to hand Republican candidates some close races this year…but it’s not likely to be on a Virginia or Massachusetts scale."
Respected political handicapper Stuart Rothenberg today said he thinks Republicans could pick up as many as 33 seats in Congress in November, just shy of the number they need to retake the House.
Yet, according to Politics Daily, Rothenberg says it is "important to note that considerably larger gains in excess of 39 seats are quite possible" for the GOP. He says 88 House seats are "in play" in November and that Democrats currently hold 76 of them — meaning it is likely that Republicans will pick up a large share of seats.
The new PPP survey comes after one from ABC News and the Washington Post showing Americans are increasingly disenchanted with pro-abortion President Barack Obama. The new survey finds, by an 8 percent margin, voters want Republicans to control Congress to keep Obama’s agenda in check.
Some 51 percent in the new ABC News/Washington Post poll would rather have the Republicans run Congress "to act as a check on Obama’s policies."
That compares with 43 percent who want Obama’s pro-abortion allies to remain in charge of Congress to further push his agenda.
Registered voters by a 62-26 percent margin are inclined to look around for someone new for Congress rather than to re-elect their current representative — which presents bad news for the pro-abortion lawmakers who currently control Congress. That’s the most solid anti-incumbent feeling the ABC/Post poll has measured since 1989 and predicts a potential change in the political landscape in the pro-life direction come November.
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