Politics

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                            December 15, 2011Voters View Holder More Negatively Amid Calls For Resignation
Amidst a House resolution calling for his resignation following a botched operation to investigate Mexican drug cartels, Attorney General Eric Holder’s unfavorable marks are at the highest level measured. But more than a third of voters still have no opinion of him.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely U.S. Voters shows that only 19% share at least a somewhat favorable opinion of Holder while 43% view him unfavorably.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on December 10-11, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
December 15, 2011Iowa: Romney 23%, Gingrich 20%, Paul 18%, Perry 10%
For the fifth straight survey, the GOP field has a new frontrunner in Iowa.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely Iowa Republican Caucus Participants shows former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney with 23% of the vote, only slightly ahead of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich who has 20%. Texas Congressman Ron Paul is right behind with 18% of the vote. Texas Governor Rick Perry earns 10% support, with no other candidate grabbing double-digits.

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                            December 15, 2011Iowa: Romney 23%, Gingrich 20%, Paul 18%
For the fifth straight survey, the GOP field has a new frontrunner in Iowa.  (video)

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                            December 14, 201145% Say Democrats, Republicans in Congress Are Extreme
A plurality of voters now thinks the agendas of both major political parties in Congress are equally extreme. 
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 45% of Likely U.S. Voters believe the agenda of congressional Republicans is extreme, and the identical number (45%) say the same of congressional Democrats. Thirty-seven percent (37%) think the GOP agenda is mainstream, while 38% feel that's true of the agenda followed by Democrats in Congress.

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                            December 14, 201152% Support Arizona-Like Immigration Law in Their State
The U.S. Supreme Court Monday announced it will decide whether the Arizona immigration law passed last year violates the Constitution, and a new survey finds that half of voters still support a similar immigration law for their own state.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely U.S. Voters shows that 52% favor passage of an immigration law similar to Arizona’s in their state. Thirty-four percent (34%) oppose such a law in their state, while 15% more are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls).  Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The national survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on December 12-13, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points ith a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            December 14, 2011New Hampshire: Little Interest in Palin or Daniels Entering Race for GOP Nomination
With three weeks to go before the Iowa caucuses officially launch the 2012 election season, many analysts have suggested that there is still time for someone new to enter the race for the GOP nomination.  While there may still be time, there is currently little enthusiasm for a couple of the bigger names to jump into the field.
December 13, 2011Election 2012: Generic Republican 47%, Obama 42%
A generic Republican candidate leads President Obama by five points in a hypothetical Election 2012 matchup for the week ending Sunday, December 11.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely U.S. Voters finds the generic Republican earning 47% support to Obama's 42%.  Three percent (3%) prefer some other candidate, and seven percent (7%) are undecided.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted December 5-December 11, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            December 13, 2011Voters Like Romney Best, But GOP Voters Give Edge to Gingrich
Mitt Romney is still the Republican candidate that voters like the most, while Texas Governor Rick Perry remains the GOP hopeful they like the least. Among Republican voters, however, Romney and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich are running neck-and-neck, but Gingrich has the edge when it comes to enthusiasm.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 53% of Likely U.S. Voters share at least a somewhat favorable opinion of Romney and 38% regard the former Massachusetts governor unfavorably.
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on December 8-9, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
December 13, 2011Obama Runs Second to Republicans In Voter Trust On Key Issues
Just over one-third of Likely U.S. Voters trust President Obama more than the Republican candidates for president when it comes to the handling of the economy, national security and health care. However, the president does have the trust of more voters than any individual GOP candidate at this time.

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                            December 12, 2011Voters See Gingrich, Romney As Strongest GOP Opponents for Obama
Voters rate Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney evenly when asked which Republican presidential candidate would run strongest against President Obama, but among GOP voters, Gingrich is the clear favorite.

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                            December 12, 201155% Favor Repeal of Health Care Law
Most voters still want to repeal the national health care law, even though they tend to believe the law won’t force them to change their own health insurance coverage.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 55% of Likely U.S. Voters at least somewhat favor repeal of the health care law passed by Congress in March 2010, while 35% at least somewhat oppose repeal. The intensity remains on the side of the law’s opponents since these findings include 42% who Strongly Favor repeal versus 26% who are Strongly Opposed. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on December 10-11, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
December 11, 201148% Rate Obama’s Handling of Economy As Poor
Although President Obama changed his holiday vacation plans to push Congress on economic issues, voters have not changed their views of how the president is performing when it comes to the economy.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 48% of Likely U.S. Voters rate Obama’s handling of economic issues as poor.
December 10, 2011What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending December 10, 2011
Maybe it’s the holiday season or maybe it’s an indicator of things to come. Last month, the Rasmussen Employment Index signaled a slight drop in the national unemployment rate, subsequently borne out by government figures. Now consumer and investor confidence are improving.
 
 The Rasmussen Consumer Index, which measures the economic confidence of consumers on a daily basis, is up five points from a month ago. Consumer confidence for the full month of November was the highest it has been since June. Its companion Rasmussen Investor Index, which measures daily confidence among investors, is also up several points from three months ago. Yet more than 60% of both groups believe the country remains in a recession.

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                            December 10, 201158% Say America’s Overseas Alliances Make Country Stronger
Most U.S. voters now believe America’s alliances do more good than harm.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely U.S. Voters shows that 58% think America’s overseas alliances make the country stronger.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on December 2-3, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology. 
December 9, 201140% View Biden Favorably, 52% Don’t
Will he or won’t he run for the presidency in 2016? Only Vice President Joe Biden knows for sure, refusing to rule out another run for the White House in an interview earlier this month on NBC’s “Today” show. Right now, however, the vice president is earning some of the highest unfavorables since he took office in late January 2009.
December 8, 201142% Say GOP Candidates Paying Too Much Attention to Trump
Current front-runner Newt Gingrich is the latest Republican presidential hopeful to meet with billionaire developer Donald Trump who is scheduled to moderate a GOP debate later this month. But a sizable number of voters think Republican presidential candidates are paying too much attention to Trump, and an overwhelming majority say his endorsement would hurt a candidate in their eyes or have no impact.
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook. 
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters nationwide was conducted on December 6-7, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            December 7, 201138% Say United States Spends Too Much on Defense
As Washington officials continue to haggle over ways to cut the federal budget, more voters than ever believe the country spends too much on the military and national security.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely U.S. Voters shows that 38% think America spends too much on the military and national security, up just a point from October but up five points from January.
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on December 2-3, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            December 6, 201155% Say U.S. Should Never Have Been Involved in Iraq
Vice President Joe Biden late last week presided over the transfer of the chief U.S. military facility in Iraq to the Iraqi military, bringing even closer an end to the U.S. war there. Most voters remain convinced that the United States should never have invaded Iraq in March 2003 and believe all U.S. troops should be brought home by the end of this month as planned.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 29% of Likely U.S. Voters believe, looking back, that the United States should have become involved in Iraq. Fifty-five percent (55%) say America never should have gotten involved an even more negative assessment than we found in February.
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook. 
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on December 4-5, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            December 5, 201129% View New Defense Secretary Panetta Favorably
The United States continues to fight in Afghanistan, the nation’s longest-running war, but a sizable number of Americans don’t know enough about President Obama’s new secretary of Defense to have any kind of opinion about him.
Twenty-nine percent (29%) of Likely U.S. Voters hold at least a somewhat favorable opinion of Leon Panetta, most recently the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, while 32% view him at least somewhat unfavorably, according to a new Rasmussen Reports survey.
December 3, 2011What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending December 2, 2011
Flavor of the month or the next presidential nominee of the Republican Party?
As Herman Cain’s campaign disintegrates, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has surged to the largest national lead held by any candidate so far in the race for the GOP’s 2012 nomination. Gingrich earns 38% of the vote from Likely Republican Primary Voters. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is a distant second at 17%. No other candidate reaches double digits. 
Gingrich also now edges President Obama by two points in a hypothetical Election 2012 matchup – 45% to 43% - after trailing by 12 points two weeks ago. 
Earlier in the year, both Texas Governor Rick Perry and Cain followed a similar path to take a slight lead over the president. However, their time as front-runners quickly came to an end. Neither man led the president more than a single time in a Rasmussen Reports poll. It remains to be seen whether Gingrich follows that path or is able to retain his status as the leading alternative to Romney. Scott Rasmussen discussed Gingrich’s surge with Fox News earlier this week.