http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal-te.poll30jun30,0,3341401.story?coll=bal-nationworld-headlinesPoll shows bright prospects for Democrats in November
Gender gap could pose threat to GOP hold on Congress, survey finds
By Ronald Brownstein
June 30, 2006
WASHINGTON -- President Bush's approval rating has improved slightly, but discontent over the war in Iraq, especially among women, is continuing to boost Democratic prospects in the struggle for control of Congress, a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll has found.
Bush's approval rating edged up to 41 percent, his highest rating in the poll since January. But Democrats held a formidable advantage, 49 percent to 35 percent, when registered voters were asked which party they intend to support in this fall's congressional elections.
The survey suggests an old challenge - the gender gap - could pose a renewed threat to the Republican hold on Congress. While men split about evenly when asked which party they plan to back for Congress in November, women now prefer Democrats by nearly 2-to-1.
Doubts about Iraq appear to be a powerful contributor to that trend; in the survey, women are much less likely than men to say the war has been worth the cost.
"As far as the war goes, we never should have gone in there without United Nations backing," said Kathy Bocklage, a poll respondent and registered Republican from Wayland, N.Y., who said she's planning to support Democrats this fall after voting for Bush in 2004. "Why
thought the U.S. could finance this alone - it's ludicrous."
But beneath the large Democratic lead on the ballot test for November, the poll offers potential warning signs for the party.
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