This New Poll Shows Democrats Could Actually Have A Shot At Winning The House In 2014
When asked which party they would support if an election for the U.S. House of Representatives were held today, 43 percent of those polled said they would support the Democrat to 35 percent supporting the Republican.
This is the lowest support for the generic Republican ballot since November 2011, and a good sign for Democrats, who in 2014 will have their last chance to take back the House of Representatives while President Barack Obama remains in office.
Democrats need to win 18 seats in order to take the majority. Despite the positive poll numbers, however, the midterms will remain an uphill battle given how solidly the GOP holds on to a large number of their seats.
Also of interest is the early returns among Republicans for a potential slate of 2016 candidates.
The survey of self-identified Republicans show that the GOP primary already a five-man race. Leading the pack is Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) with 19 percent support, followed by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) with 17 percent, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) with 15 percent, Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.) with 14 percent and Gov. Jeb Bush (R-Fla.) with 10 percent.
Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-La.), Gov. Scott Walker (R-Wis.) and Gov Bob McDonnell (R-Va.) each received less than 3 percent support.
One final key finding of the poll is the widespread dissatisfaction of self-identified Republicans with their own party. Only 63 percent of Republicans have a positive opinion of their own party.