DCCC - Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee

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A few weeks ago, Chairman Van Hollen asked for your ideas on what the top priority should be for the new Congress. Your response was overwhelming with thousands of suggestions. You had a chance to vote on five of the top suggestions. Here are the results:
The number one priority is...

1. 51.4% — Economic Stimulus A stimulus package to create jobs is needed and will help everyone. People with jobs spend money. This stabilizes the Market, which replenishes people's savings and retirement funds — Mary, OR

The rest of the results...

1. 2. 24.2% — Health Care The most important change for me is accessible, affordable health care for all Americans; employed or unemployed; old or young. — Deb, FL


2. 2.7% — The Environment Work to improve the environment and reduce global warming — Jerry, VA


3. 7.0% — Tax Reform Targeted tax cuts for working people, creation of real jobs, eliminate tax loopholes — George, TX


4. 4.7% — Caring for Our Troops Get us out of Iraq responsibly and create and oversee programs that will ensure the physical, emotional and economic well being of returning U.S. soldiers — Karen, CA

Number of Democrats Increases for Third Straight Month

Partisan Trends
Number of Democrats Increases for Third Straight Month
Monday, January 05, 2009
The number of Americans who consider themselves to be Democrats inched up again in December to 41.6%. That’s up two-tenths of a point since November and the third straight monthly increase in the number of Democrats.
Only once since Rasmussen Reports began tracking this data on a monthly basis in 2002 has the number of Democrats been higher. In May, as the Obama-Clinton primary battle neared its conclusion, 41.7% of Americans said they were Democrats.
At the same time, the number of Republicans declined a full percentage point from 33.8% in November to 32.8% in December. That’s the lowest number of Republicans since August. The number claiming allegiance to the GOP peaked in September at 34.4% as the party enjoyed a convention bounce and Sarah Palin was picked as the party’s Vice Presidential nominee.
The number not affiliated with either major party inched up from 24.7% in November to 25.6% in December.
Rasmussen Reports tracks this information based upon telephone interviews with approximately 15,000 adults per month and has been doing so since November 2002.
Currently, the Democrats enjoy an 8.8 percentage point advantage over Republicans. Two years ago, in the December after Democrats regained control of Congress, they enjoyed a 6.9 percentage point advantage over the GOP in terms of partisan identification. That was their biggest advantage ever prior to 2008.
However, once the Democrats actually gained control of Congress, their partisan advantage began a slow, steady decline that lasted a full year until the Presidential Primary season began (see history from January 2004 to present).
These results are based upon tracking surveys of 15,000 adults per month. The margin of sampling error for the sample is less than one percentage point, with a 95% level of confidence.
Please keep in mind that figures reported in this article are for all adults, not Likely Voters. Republicans are a bit more likely to participate in elections than Democrats.