ABC/WaPo Poll -- Issues Favor Dems in 2006

A Year Out from 2006 Vote, ABC News/Washington Post Issues Poll Suggests Opening for Change
Analysis by GARY LANGER

Nov. 6, 2005 — A year out from the 2006 midterm elections, the Democrats hold an extraordinary lead in voter preferences — but far less of an advantage in the practical elements it can take to turn an out-party's hopes into votes: leadership, anti-incumbency and a unified theme.

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Indeed, 55 percent of Americans in this ABC News/Washington Post poll say they'd like to see the Democrats take control of Congress in 2006. And if the election were today, registered voters would favor the Democrat in their congressional district by 52-37 percent.

That 15-point margin is numerically the biggest for the Democrats since an ABC/Post poll in September 1984 (they ultimately lost 14 seats), although about the same as a 14-point Democratic lead in one poll in 1996 (when they gained nine).

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Which Party Do You Trust to Handle…
Democrats Republicans
Economy 56% 34%
Social Security 56 29
Education 55 32
Health Care 54 29
Taxes 48 38
Iraq 48 37
Federal Budget 48 34
Gas Prices 47 26
Terrorism 42 42
Ethics 42 36

So does their edge in attributes: They hold a 10-point lead, 50-40 percent, as the party that "better represents your personal values."

Party Attributes
Democrats Republicans
Is more open to ideas of political moderates 60% 24%
Is more concerned with needs of people like you 56 33
Better represents your values 50 40
Has stronger leaders 35 51


More @ http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/PollVault/story?id=1283170