Ipsos-Reid/Cook Political Report: Voters Believe Republicans Control Congressional Agenda: Overall, 55% Say Republicans in Control, 32% Democrats

Between August 2 and August 4, 2002, and between August 16 and August 18, 2002, Ipsos-Reid US Public Affairs interviewed a representative sample of 2,000 adults nationwide, including 1,562 registered voters. The margin of error for the combined surveys is 177 2.2% for all adults and 177 2.5% for registered voters.

The question of which party controls the Congressional agenda was only asked on the August 16-18 survey of 1,000 adults and 773 registered voters, for which the margin of error is 177 3.1% for all adults and 177 3.6% for registered voters.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Registered voters believe by a decisive margin of 55%-32% that Republicans, not Democrats, control the Congressional agenda in Washington.

"It is such an innocuous question in some ways and yet so important in order to determine which party benefits from any anti-establishment/incumbency voter backlash," writes Chuck Todd, the Editor-in-Chief, in today's Hotline, the daily on-line political news service of National Journal. Todd suggested the question be added to this week's Ipsos-Reid/Cook Political Report survey.

"This demonstrates why it is always a hard sell for the President to travel out to a state and ask voters to help him by electing fellow partisans so that he can `get control of the Congressional agenda.' Even in the 50-50 political world we live in, voters assume the President and his party already control the Congressional agenda," says Thomas Riehle, President of Ipsos-Reid US Public Affairs, which conducts the survey the first and third weekend of every month. "Most don't agree with the President that obstructions created by the other party's control of Congress are a problem. In fact, most don't agree that the other party controls the agenda in Congress.

"Democratic voters think that Republicans control the agenda, and are not likely to be persuaded to cross party lines to help out even a popular President if they believe his party already controls the Congressional agenda. Independent voters assume that, too, although many confess they do not know for sure.

"In fact, it is mostly frustrated Republican voters, who won a Presidential election in 2000 and have not yet seen enough of the Republican agenda passed into law to satisfy their tastes, who now say Democrats control the Congressional agenda--and probably think that's a problem--but Bush probably already has their votes in the midterm elections," Riehle concludes.

Other Findings

Voters would like to see Democrats win control of the Congressional agenda, with 45% preferring that Democrats control Congress and 41% Republicans in the current survey, conducted August 16-18, 2002,.

Looking only at results from the poll conducted this past weekend, August 16-18, 2002 with 773 registered voters nationwide (margin of error: + 3.6%):

• Bush's overall job approval rating stands at 62% approve-34% disapprove. Bush's ratings for handling the economy stand at 53% approve-42% disapprove.
• If the Presidential vote were held this past weekend, 41% would definitely support Bush's reelection, 27% would consider voting for someone else, and 29% would definitely vote for someone else.

For more information on this release, please contact: Thomas Riehle President Ipsos-Reid US Public Affairs 202.463.7300 [email protected]