Taegan Goddard's Political Wire

April 16, 2009

Democrats Hold Big Lead in Generic Ballot Test

The latest Cook Political Report/RT Strategies poll finds Democrats with an 11-point lead over Republicans, 49% to 38%, in a generic congressional ballot test.

However, when given the choice of choosing between the statements "we need to have a Democratic Congress in order to help President Obama enact his legislative program," and the other "We need to elect a Republican Congress to act as a check and balance, to keep Democrats from going too far," 48% chose the Republican 'check and balance' option, 41% indicated a preference for Democratic Congress to work with Obama.

The poll also shows "remarkable stability" in President Obama's job approval ratings with 60% approving and 30% disapproving.

In a hypothetical 2012 presidential matchup, 50% said that they would definitely or probably vote for Obama again while 39% indicated that they would definitely or probably vote against him.

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Taegan D. Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Christian Science Monitor.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

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