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Pew Research Center for the People & the Press
Congress Faces Record Public Discontent
Anti-Incumbent Sentiment Echoes 1994
The American public is angry with Congress, and this is bad news for the Republican Party. The belief that this Congress has accomplished less than its predecessors is markedly higher than at any point in the past nine years, and by a wide margin Republican leaders are blamed for this.
The public's strong appetite for change in Washington is seen both in the majority of voters who say they would like to see most members of Congress defeated in November, and in the sizable minority who wants to see their representative turned out in the midterms. Both measures reflect anti-incumbent sentiment not seen since late in the historic 1994 campaign, just before Republicans gained control of Congress.
The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted among 1,501 Americans from April 7-16, finds that:
- The Democrats' strength in the midterm ballot test continues to stem from their advantage among independent voters. Half of independents (51%) say they favor the Democratic candidate in their district, compared with just 31% who say they will vote Republican.
- Fully 41% of voters say the current Congress has accomplished less than its recent predecessors -- by far the most negative evaluation of Congress's record in polls since 1997.
- Just 40% say they have a favorable opinion of the Republican Party, down slightly since February (44%); this is the GOP's lowest favorability mark in surveys dating to 1992. The Democratic Party has a somewhat more positive image (47% favorable); but this also is the lowest recorded by Pew. However, the Democrats hold a decided advantage over the Republicans as the party better able to reform the government.
- By roughly two-to-one (53%-26%), more Americans say the Republican Party has stronger political leaders. In contrast, about as many people believe the Democratic Party has better political leaders as say that about the Republican Party (40% vs. 38%).