US media polls present grim picture for Democrats in Nov mid-term elections

WASHINGTON - The upcoming mid-term polls in November are presenting a grim picture for the Democrats, with a series of media polls claiming that majority of Americans would vote for the Republicans if elections were to be held today, and saying that they trusted the GOP more to handle issues like the economy.

According to a Washington Post-ABC News poll, 53 percent of the voters say they would vote for Republicans in their district if the midterm elections were today, while 40 percent would vote for the Democrats.

Among voters overall, independents, a critical voting bloc, say they would support Republican over Democratic candidates in their House districts by a 13-point margin, CBS news reports.

Fifty-five percent of overall voters in the poll said it’s more important to have a Republican led Congress to serve as a check on Obama’s agenda, than to have Democrats in control to support the same. Just 39 percent supported the Democrats in this issue.

Meanwhile, a Wall Street Journal-NBC News poll showed voters split, 43 percent to 43 percent, about whether they favoured a Republican-controlled Congress or a Democratically-controlled Congress. Likely voters, however, favour a Republican-controlled Congress, 49 percent to 40 percent.

Another survey done by a CNN Opinion Research Corporation shows voters favouring Republicans over Democrats on the economy by 43 percent to 39 percent. While it is a small advantage, this is the first time this poll has found Republicans to have any lead on the economy since 2002.

The polling outcomes suggest Republicans could take control of the House in mi-terms elections, something that three professors have predicted after running a series of simulations.

Republicans have a 79 percent chance of winning the House, according to Professors Joseph Bafumi of Dartmouth College, Robert Erikson of Columbia University and Christopher Wlezien of Temple University. Their model suggests the most likely scenario is for Democrats to lose 50 seats this November, leaving Republicans with a 229-206 advantage. (ANI)