The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that, if the Congressional Election were held today, 46% of American voters say they would vote for the Democrat in their district and 36% would opt for the Republican (see crosstabs). That ten point advantage for Nancy Pelosi’s party is little changed from a month ago. It’s the fifth straight month the Democrats have enjoyed a double-digit lead.

In Rasmussen Reports national telephone surveys, Democrats have now reached 46% or better in seven consecutive monthly polls. During that same time frame, the Republicans have never topped the 37% level of support. An overview of the 2008 Senate races by 2008 Senate Races by commentator Larry Sabato suggests the only question is how big will the Democratic gains be.

Among liberal voters, Democrats enjoy a 73% to 8% advantage. However, the nation’s conservative voters aren’t quite as enthusiastic about the GOP. Sixty-four percent (64%) of conservatives say they’d vote for the Republican in their district while 24% would vote for a Democrat. Moderates favor the Democrats by a 2-to-1 margin.

While 84% of Republicans say they’ll vote for their party’s candidate and 83% of Democrats say the same about their party’s Congressional nominee, Democrats enjoy a 41% to 21% margin among voters not affiliated with either major political party. Eleven percent (11%) of the unaffiliateds would like to vote for a third party option while 27% are not sure.

Democrats continue to enjoy a nearly five-percentage point advantage in underlying party identification. In Election 2004, the two parties were essentially even in terms of partisan identification.

In late November, just 12% of Americans gave Congress good or excellent marks. That’s the lowest rating of 2007 and just a point above the lowest ratings earned by the Republican controlled Congress in 2006 (see monthly results since Election 2006). Thirty-six percent (36%) say Congress is doing a fair job while 48% say poor.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is viewed favorably by 38% of voters and unfavorably by 51%. This is the fourth straight poll where her unfavorable ratings have topped the 50% mark.

Perceptions of the Democratic Congress moved sharply to the right--35% of voters now see most Democrats in Congress as politically liberal. That’s down from 41% a month ago. Forty-four percent (44%) say most Democrats in Congress are politically moderate, up from 38% in November (see tracking history).

There was little change in perceptions of Republicans in Congress—46% see most Republicans in Congress as politically conservative while 34% see them as politically moderate (see tracking history).

Forty percent (40%) of voters say Democrats are Very Likely to retain control of Congress following the 2008 elections. Another 31% say they are Somewhat Likely to retain control. That totals 71%, unchanged from November.

Democrats are still trusted more than Republicans on key issues tracked by Rasmussen Reports.

Rasmussen Reports updates the Generic Congressional Ballot on a monthly basis. The Presidential Tracking Poll is updated daily.

Rasmussen Reports continuously updates key polling stats for all Republican and Democratic Presidential candidates along with ratings for Members of Congress, Other Political Figures, and Journalists.

See survey questions and top-line results. Crosstabs are available for Premium Members only.