New polls from Democratic pollsters are showing that the shutdown could hurt GOP Senate candidates in 2014 — polling that is significant since there are already signs that Republican conservatives want a “rematch” on the debt limit and government shutdown in only a few more months. It’s clear the political consquences could be serious for the GOP:
A new batch of Democratic polling suggests that Republicans are vulnerable to attacks over the shutdown in competitive Senate contests.
Public Policy Polling, a Democratic firm, surveyed six states on Monday and Tuesday for Americans United for Change, a liberal interest group.
A majority of voters in all of them opposed shutting down the government to try to defund Obamacare.
“These polls make it clear that across the country, whether a state voted for Obama by 10 points or voted for Romney by 20, voters are extremely angry about the government shutdown,” said pollster Tom Jensen. “And it’s going to make Republican hopes of taking back the Senate next year that much harder.”
It is probably too soon to predict how the shutdown will impact the midterm elections a little over a year from now. But initial numbers suggest more challenges for GOP candidates identified with the showdown than Democrats.
In Georgia, voters opposed the shutdown nearly two to one, 61 percent to 31 percent. Democrat Michelle Nunn ties a generic Republican at 42 percent. After being told “her most likely opponents for next year supported the government shutdown,” Nunn opens a six-point lead over a generic Republican.
In Louisiana, Sen. Mary Landrieu (D) leads Rep. Bill Cassidy (R) by 7 points, 48 percent to 41 percent, for reelection. Almost half, 47 percent, said they are less likely to vote for Cassidy because of the shutdown, compared to 32 percent who said they are more likely.
The Politico piece lists more races so go to the link to read them all.
As is usual with partisan activists and polling, Republican activists and conservative bloggers will suggest these are Democratic polling firms or that these are perhaps invented numbers. But political pros who aren’t on TV or who don’t write on websites can read the numbers. A Ted Cruz/talk show host/Tea Party rematch on the government shutdown and debt ceiling could mean a re-run of the downward spiral of polling results for the GOP.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.