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Politics

Most Recent Releases

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September 17, 2008

Just 23% Say Presidential Campaign More Negative Than Most

Most voters (55%) say the tone of this year’s presidential campaign is about the same as in other recent election years, despite complaints from Barack Obama’s side and some in the media that John McCain has been campaigning negatively.

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September 17, 2008

Just Over One-Third Say Palin, McCain, Obama More Ethical Than Most Politicians

Despite both sides running campaigns aimed at changing a climate of special interest corruption in Washington, just over one-third of voters find three of the four major-ticket candidates more ethical than most politicians.

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September 16, 2008

Palin 47%, Biden 44% in Make-believe Presidential Match-up

Sarah Palin bests Joseph Biden 47% to 44% in a hypothetical head-to-head match-up for the presidency, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

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September 15, 2008

Majority of Voters Say Only McCain, Biden Prepared To Be President

Sixty-three percent (63%) of voters say John McCain is prepared right now to be president, and 50% say the same thing about Democratic vice presidential candidate Joseph Biden. Forty-four percent (44%) say the man at the top of Biden's ticket, Barack Obama, is ready, but 45% say he isn’t.

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September 15, 2008

Voters Say No to Obama in McCain’s Cabinet, and Vice Versa

A majority of Americans think it’s a good idea for a president to put members of the opposing political party in his Cabinet, as long as it’s not Barack Obama or John McCain.

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September 14, 2008

New Rasmussen Reports Party Weighting Targets: 38.7% Democrat 33.6% Republican

Like all polling firms, Rasmussen Reports weights its data to reflect the population at large. Among other targets, Rasmussen Reports weights data by political party affiliation using a dynamic weighting process.

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September 14, 2008

35% Expect McCain Victory, 34% Say Obama Will Win

John McCain's convention and his choice of Sarah Palin as a running mate have moved him from 18 points behind to a one-point lead over Barack Obama when voters are asked who is likely to win this year's presidential election, according to a new Rasmussen reports national telephone survey.

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September 13, 2008

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending September 12, 2008

Columnist Larry Kudlow calls it the Sarah surge. With excitement now running high on the Republican side, Barack Obama’s campaign and many in the media are reacting like GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is at the top of the ticket. Whatever the view, it appears that Palin drove the polls last week.

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September 12, 2008

Voters Strongly Favor Offshore Drilling, Alternative Energy Plans

Seven out of 10 voters (69%) support offshore oil drilling, and even more (77%) favor tax incentives for the development of alternative energy sources, which means Congress is on track with the energy bill it is expected to pass in the next two weeks.

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September 11, 2008

63% Say McCain Likely to Reach Across the Aisle, 51% Say Obama Will

If elected President, 63% of voters say that John McCain is likely to reach across the aisle and work with Democrats to pass important legislation. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 51% say that Barack Obama will do the same if elected.

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September 11, 2008

61% of Republicans More Likely to Give Thanks to Palin; 46% of Democrats Say Same of Biden

Call it the vice presidential battle for campaign cash. So far John McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate has Republicans far more likely to give money to his campaign than Democrats responding to Barack Obama’s selection of Joseph Biden.

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September 11, 2008

54% Say U.S. Has Changed for the Worse Since 9/11

With the seventh anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks this week, over half of Americans (54%) still believe the country has changed for the worse since the events of that day, but this marks the first time the number has fallen in over six years.

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September 10, 2008

69% Say Reporters Try To Help The Candidate They Want To Win

Seven out of 10 voters (69%) remain convinced that reporters try to help the candidate they want to win, and this year by a nearly five-to-one margin voters believe they are trying to help Barack Obama.

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September 10, 2008

Palin Gets Rave Reviews in Alaska, Viewed Favorably by 56% Nationwide

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is viewed favorably by 72% of voters in her home state, including 56% who hold a Very Favorable opinion of her.

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September 9, 2008

Most Voters Say Encouraging Economic Growth is Key, but Big Government is Not the Solution

Sixty-two percent (62%) of voters say encouraging economic growth in America is more important than closing the gap between the rich and poor, and the best way to do that is for the government to move out of the way.

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September 8, 2008

Rasmussen Markets Update: Obama-McCain a Toss-Up

Since early May, Rasmussen Markets data has shown Barack Obama as the favorite to be the next President of the United States. From the time he wrapped up the Democratic Presidential Nomination on June 3, market expectations have consistently given Obama a roughly 60% chance of victory.

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September 6, 2008

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending September 5, 2008

There’s little doubt that the story of the past week was the Republican National Convention… and that the story of the convention was Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

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September 5, 2008

Palin Power: Fresh Face Now More Popular Than Obama, McCain

A week ago, most Americans had never heard of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Now, following a Vice Presidential acceptance speech viewed live by more than 40 million people, Palin is viewed favorably by 58% of American voters.

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September 4, 2008

Meet John McCain As Voters See Him

Who is John McCain? Like any candidate, he’s more than a resume. More than a Vietnam combat pilot who served time in the infamous Hanoi Hilton, then went on to be a longtime Republican senator from Arizona.

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September 4, 2008

51% Say Reporters Are Trying To Hurt Palin; 39% Say She Has Better Experience Than Obama

Over half of U.S. voters (51%) think reporters are trying to hurt Sarah Palin with their news coverage, and 24% say those stories make them more likely to vote for Republican presidential candidate John McCain in November.