A devastating new Politico poll released on Monday shows likely voters in key 2014 midterm election races favor a Republican candidate over a Democrat by seven points. Driving Democrats’ electoral descent is the unpopularity of President Barack Obama and his signature legislative achievement, Obamacare.
“Among these critical voters, Obama’s job approval rating is a perilous 40 percent, and nearly half say they favor outright repeal of the Affordable Care Act. Sixty percent say they believe the debate over the law is not over, compared with 39 percent who echo the president’s position and say the ACA debate has effectively concluded,” reports Politico’s Alexander Burns.
The poll found that Obamacare overwhelmingly remains the issue driving voters. Nine out of ten individuals surveyed said Obamacare is an important factor determining their vote, and 49% said the health law would be “very important.” By comparison, those who said immigration and salary differences among genders were “very important” polled at 28% and 16% respectively.
The Politico poll surveyed likely voters in states and districts that the University of Virginia Center for Politics determined were the most competitive Senate and House races, including: Colorado, Oregon, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, North Carolina, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Arkansas, Alaska, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The poll paints a portrait of an angry electorate fed up with Washington corruption, mass distrust of government power, and disgust with both political parties.
Obama’s unpopularity has created widening rifts between the president and his party, reports the Wall Street Journal. In March, a Democratic member of Congress warned that Obama has become “poisonous” to Democrats. Democratic pollster Geoff Garin told the New York Times that as the president’s popularity goes so goes the fate of Democrats.
“The state of Democrats is very much tied to the state of the president, and in that regard, these are far from the best of times,” said Garin.
Voters head to the polls in 169 days.
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