When I received my daily polling update from Rasmussen this weekend I’ll admit that I was in for a surprise. The polling agency went back to the well with their periodic series of questions as to which party Americans trust more on the top ten issues of the day. You wouldn’t be able to tell from a lot of the media circus we watch on a daily basis, but the Republicans actually ran the table.
For the first time in recent years, voters trust Republicans more than Democrats on all 10 key electoral issues regularly tracked by Rasmussen Reports. The GOP holds double-digit advantages on five of them.
Republicans have nearly doubled their lead over Democrats on economic issues to 49% to 35%, after leading by eight points in September.
Here’s the breakdown by the numbers:
The economy
49% Republicans, 35% Democrats, 16% Not sureNational security and the War on Terror
54% Republicans, 31% Democrats, 15% Not sureThe war in Iraq
50% Republicans, 31% Democrats, 19% Not sureImmigration
40% Republicans, 33% Democrats, 27% Not sureGovernment ethics and corruption
33% Republicans, 29% Democrats, 38% Not sureTaxes
50% Republicans, 35% Democrats, 15% Not sureHealth care
46% Republicans, 40% Democrats, 14% Not sureSocial Security
45% Republicans, 37% Democrats, 19% Not sureEducation
43% Republicans, 38% Democrats, 18% Not sureAbortion
47% Republicans, 35% Democrats, 19% Not sure
This comes right on the heels of a related report indicated that the GOP has opened up a five point lead on the generic Congressional ballot. These sets of numbers are exactly upside down from the same studies done during the summer of 08, shortly before Democrats swept into the White House and an expanded majority in both house on the Hill. I’m not sure exactly what this portends with just over one year until the mid-term elections, but I’m betting there are a few nervous ticks showing up on faces at the DNC right now.