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Politics

Most Recent Releases

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January 9, 2010

54% of Democrats Say Their Members of Congress Represent Them Well

Fifty-four percent (54%) of Democratic voters believe Democrats in Congress have done a good job representing their party’s values over the past several years.

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January 8, 2010

75% of GOP Voters Still Think Their Legislators Out of Touch

President Obama and congressional Democrats may be suffering these days in the polls, but Republican voters are still unhappy with the job their legislators are doing in Washington, D.C.

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January 8, 2010

2010 Kentucky Senate: GOP Hopefuls Now Ahead of Both Democratic Rivals

The two top Republican hopefuls for the U.S. Senate in Kentucky have put a little more distance between themselves and their chief Democratic contenders in a new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state.

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January 7, 2010

Blumenthal Begins Connecticut Senate Race with Big Lead Over GOP Hopefuls

Longtime Senator Chris Dodd announced yesterday he will retire rather than run for reelection, and Democratic prospects in Connecticut have suddenly gotten a lot better. Richard Blumenthal, the state attorney general, announced his candidacy yesterday, and he leads all potential Republican challengers by wide margins.

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January 7, 2010

45% Say Random Group From Phone Book Better Than Current Congress

More voters have greater confidence in the telephone book these days than in the current Congress, and most think their national legislators are paid too much to boot.

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January 7, 2010

With Ritter Stepping Down, Democratic Prospects Improve in Colorado

Now that Colorado Governor Bill Ritter has said he will step down rather than run for reelection, Democrats may be more competitive in this year's gubernatorial race.

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January 6, 2010

32% Confident Congress Represents Their Best Interests

Voters remain highly skeptical about incumbents from both political parties which helps to explain why a number of longtime members of Congress are not seeking reelection in November.

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January 6, 2010

2010 Arkansas Senate Race Still A Referendum on Lincoln

As 2010 begins, the numbers for Senator Blanche Lambert Lincoln are pretty much the same as last year’s while she prepares to face Arkansas voters in November.

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January 5, 2010

59% Plan To Rely on TV For Political News in 2010

Television is still likely to rule as the primary source of political news for most Americans this year.

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January 5, 2010

2010 Massachusetts Senate: Coakley 50%, Brown 41%

State Attorney General Martha Coakley holds a nine-point lead over her Republican rival, state Senator Scott Brown, in Massachusetts’ special U.S. Senate election to fill the seat of the late Edward M. Kennedy.

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January 4, 2010

55% Say Better for California To Go Bankrupt Than Be Bailed Out

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger reportedly intends to ask this week for a federal bailout to keep his state from going bankrupt. But most voters have never been fans of any kind of federal bailout, and most continue to oppose a bailout for California, even when told what specific budget cuts may be necessary.

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January 4, 2010

What Voters Like About The Health Care Plan

While most Americans continue to oppose the overall health care plan working its way through Congress, two reforms in the plan are supported by more than 70% of the public - creating a new national insurance exchange and requiring health insurance companies to accept applicants with pre-existing conditions.

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January 4, 2010

Voters Agree Only on Taxing The Rich To Pay for Health Care Plan

When it comes to paying for the cost of the proposed health care reform plan, voters are okay with taxing the rich but strongly reject cuts in Medicare and excise taxes on “Cadillac” health plans provided by employers.

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January 4, 2010

42% Support Health Care Plan, 52% Oppose

Forty-two percent (42%) of U.S. voters now favor the health care reform plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats. That’s the most positive result since mid-November, but still most voters remain opposed.

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January 3, 2010

53% Favor Abortion Ban in Health Plan

Fifty-three percent (53%) of voters favor a ban on abortion coverage in any health insurance plan that receives federal subsidies. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 40% are opposed to such a ban in the proposed health care legislation now before Congress.

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January 2, 2010

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending January 1, 2010

Business is good for the government these days.

Government employees are much more bullish about the economy than those who work in the private sector. That’s a big change from the beginning of the year when those on the public payroll were a bit more pessimistic than private sector workers.

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January 2, 2010

Obama Approval Index Month-by-Month: December 2009

When tracking President Obama’s job approval on a daily basis, people sometimes get so caught up in the day-to-day fluctuations that they miss the bigger picture. To look at the longer-term trends, Rasmussen Reports compiles the numbers on a full-month basis, and the results can be seen in the graphics below.

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January 2, 2010

47% Believe States Should Have Right to Opt Out of Health Care Plan

If the health care plan before Congress becomes law, 47% of voters nationwide believe states should have the right to opt out of it.

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January 1, 2010

34% Favor Single-Payer Health Care System

Thirty-four percent (34%) of voters nationwide favor a single-payer health care system where the federal government provides coverage for everyone. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 52% are opposed to such a system, and 14% are not sure.

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December 31, 2009

58% Favor Waterboarding of Plane Terrorist To Get Information

Fifty-eight percent (58%) of U.S. voters say waterboarding and other aggressive interrogation techniques should be used to gain information from the terrorist who attempted to bomb an airliner on Christmas Day.