Democrats Maintain Public Opinion Advantage
July 26th, 2010But Republicans Seem More Enthusiastic About Voting

Democrats hold a 48 percent to 44 percent advantage for the week of July 19-25 in the Gallup Poll’s tracking of registered voters’ preferences for the 2010 congressional elections. This marks the second straight week in which Democrats have held an edge of at least four percentage points.
Although Republicans have moved to a four-point or higher advantage on three separate occasions, this is the first time either party has held an advantage of that size for two consecutive weeks. Republicans and Democrats have been tied on average across the 21 weeks of Gallup’s tracking.
Republicans continue to be substantially more enthusiastic about voting, however, as they have been since March. Their current 18-point lead in voting enthusiasm is down slightly from last week’s 23-point lead, but it remains slightly higher than the average 16-point lead they have enjoyed since tracking began in March.
Independents continue to be more likely to say they will vote for the Republican rather than the Democratic candidate, an indicator that does not bode well for Democrats.
Both Republicans and Democrats maintain more than 90 percent allegiance for their party’s candidates.
Exactly what is behind the uptick in support for Democrats is not clear, although last week’s gains coincided with the passage of the financial reform bill.





