Collegian

With important elections coming up in May and in November, Republican control over the United States may soon be over.  

Generic ballot polls on pollingreport.com contained results from 37 national polls since Sept. 2005. The polls found that most people surveyed favored Democrats in the Nov. 2006 House elections. The results were taken from surveys of both registered and likely voters in the elections.                                

By an average of almost 10 percentage points, those surveyed preferred Democrats over Republicans. The average lead does not include results from voters who were unsure of their choice or who supported other parties.                                                           

Though the Republicans won majorities in both houses of Congress in 2004 elections, they are faced with a struggle to keep most of their seats in conservative hands.                                        

April 7 Associated Press poll found that only 30 percent approve of Congress' performance. Most of those surveyed blamed the Republicans for the political problems that the U.S. is facing.

To gain a majority in Congress, the Democrats would need 15 House seats and 6 Senate seats. If polls from the last year reflect actual voter turnout in November, there may be a great change in government policy.

However, the AP article stated that many U.S. Congressional districts have been reworked in the last few years to favor incumbents. This tactic may be used to Republican advantage so that they can keep their control over Congress.

But, based on the many national polls, Americans seem to believe that the U.S. is not moving towards correcting the wrongs present in government. 

And with popular opinion turning against them, the GOP may need to have many things working in their favor by November.

Yet with controversies about spying, war, immigration, and the economy, it would take more than mere campaigning for Republicans to remain in power.

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