The Democrats’ lead in the Generic Congressional Ballot has changed little over the past week. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that, if given the choice, 45% of voters would choose their district’s Democratic candidate, while 38% would choose the Republican candidate.

From now through Election Day, Rasmussen Reports is tracking the Generic Congressional Ballot on a weekly basis and releasing the results each Thursday. Premium Members can get an advance look at the results each Monday and can also review full demographic crosstabs.

Support for the GOP is the same as it was a week ago, while support for the Democrats has increased just one percentage point.

Over the past year, Democratic support has ranged from a low of 43% to a high of 50%. Over that same time, Republicans have been preferred by 34% to 41% of voters nationwide.

The Democrats have pulled ahead of the GOP among unaffiliated voters, a change from last week when the two parties were essentially tied. The Democrats now lead 37% to 28% among those voters.

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Voters who make under $40,000 a year overwhelmingly favor the Democrats, while voters who earn more are evenly divided.

Barack Obama’s party leads by double-digits among voters who did not graduate high school or whose highest degree is a high school diploma. Voters whose highest degrees are college diplomas favor the GOP by a 43% to 40% margin. Those who attended graduate school overwhelmingly favor the Democrats.

Rasmussen Reports tracking data also shows just 17% of voters believe the nation is heading in the right direction, while 78% think the country has gotten off on the wrong track. Those numbers have are decidedly more negative than last week, when 23% thought the nation was heading in the right direction and 73% thought it was going down the wrong track.

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll continues to show a tight race between John McCain and Barack Obama.

Crosstabs available for Premium Members only.