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NJ Governor: Christie Maintains Big Lead Over Buono

The odds are still high for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to keep his job.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national survey of the Garden State’s gubernatorial race shows Christie with 58% of vote against Democratic State Senator Barbara Buono's 32%. Just two percent (2%) prefer some other candidate, while eight percent (8%) remain undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The state survey of 999 Likely Voters in New Jersey was conducted September 10-11, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

44% Say Obama is Very Liberal, 35% Say Same of Biden

Most voters have little doubt that President Obama and Vice President Biden are liberals.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 70% of Likely U.S. Voters consider the president at least somewhat liberal in political terms, the highest since the beginning of the year. This includes 44% who believe he is Very Liberal. Twenty-one percent (21%) feel the president is politically moderate. Just five percent (5%) consider Obama conservative, with two percent (2%) who say he is Very Conservative. (To see survey question wording, click here.) 

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on September 10-11, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

65% Don't Think U.S. Does Enough to Develop Its Energy Resources

Most voters continue to believe the United States could be doing more to develop its own energy resources and are closely divided over drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.   

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 24% of Likely U.S. Voters think the United States does enough to develop its own gas and oil resources.  Sixty-five percent (65%) say the United States does not do enough, but that's down from a high of 76% in March 2011. Ten percent (10%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The national survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on September 10-11, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

30% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction

For the second week in a row, 30% of Likely U.S. Voters say the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey for the week ending September 8.

Confidence in the country's direction rose steadily last fall, peaking at a high of 43% the week before Election Day. It fell steadily after that to a low for the year to date of 26% in mid- to late July.

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The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports on September 2-8, 2013. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Generic Congressional Ballot: Democrats 39%, Republicans 39%

Democrats and Republicans are tied on the Generic Congressional Ballot for the week ending September 8.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 39% of Likely U.S. Voters would vote for the Democrat in their district’s congressional race if the election were held today, while another 39% would choose the Republican instead.  The week before, the Democrat held a two-point advantage, 39% to 37%.  For much of the summer, neither party has hit the 40% mark, suggesting a high level of voter unhappiness.

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The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from September 2-8, 2013. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage point with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Most Voters Still Don't Know If Their State Has A Health Care Exchange

Less than one month before government health care exchanges nationwide are scheduled to begin accepting applicants for health insurance, most voters still don't know if their state has created an exchange or not. 

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 45% are aware that their state has agreed to set up a health care exchange. Twenty-nine percent (29%) say they don't know if their state has such an exchange, and 26% more are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on September 6-7, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology. 

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending September 7, 2013

Congress is back in session this coming week with three critical issues demanding its attention – Syria, the October 1 deadline to raise the federal debt ceiling and immigration reform. Voters have pretty strong opinions on all three.

Virginia Governor: McAuliffe (D) 45%, Cuccinelli (R) 38%

Democrat Terry McAuliffe has opened up a seven-point lead over Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli as the Virginia gubernatorial race enters the post-Labor Day stretch.

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Virginia Voters finds McAuliffe with 45% support to Cuccinelli’s 38%. Seven percent (7%) prefer some other candidate, while 10% remain unsure. (To see survey question wording, click here.) 

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The survey of 998 Likely Voters in Virginia was conducted on September 3-4, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology. 

7% Think Congress Is Doing A Good or Excellent Job

Congress can’t win: It leaves Washington, DC for its August recess, and its job performance ratings still drop. Most senators and congressmen spent at least some of the recess at home, but voters’ opinions of them remained just as low.

Just seven percent (7%) of Likely U.S. Voters think Congress is doing a good or excellent job. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 62% rate the legislators’ performance as poor.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on September 2-3, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

30% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction

Thirty percent (30%) of Likely U.S. Voters now say the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey for the week ending September 1.

The latest finding is up one point from the previous week.  Confidence in the country's direction rose steadily last fall, peaking at a high of 43% the week before Election Day. It fell steadily after that to a low for the year to date of 26% in mid- to late July.

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The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports on August 26-September 1, 2013. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Economy, Health Care Are Still Most Important Voting Issues

The economy and health care remain at the top of the list of 15 important voting issues regularly tracked by Rasmussen Reports. 

Seventy-five percent (75%) of Likely U.S. Voters consider the economy Very Important in terms of how they will vote in the next congressional election, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The surveys of 1,000 Likely Voters each were conducted on August 19-20, 25-26 & 29-30, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error for each survey is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Rasmussen Employment Index Rebounds in August

The Rasmussen Employment Index which measures worker confidence rose more than three points in August and more closely matches the level measured at the start of the year.

At 86.5, worker confidence is up from July’s 2013 low of 83.1. Worker confidence is down just over half a point from the beginning of the year but is still up nearly 15 points from a year ago. The Employment Index reached a near six-year high of 94.4 in May. However, the Index is down 13 points from August 2007.

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The survey of 9,200 working Americans was conducted in August 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 1 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Generic Congressional Ballot: Democrats 39%, Republicans 37%

Democrats lead Republicans by two points on the Generic Congressional Ballot for the week ending September 1.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 39% of Likely U.S. Voters would vote for the Democrat in their district’s congressional race if the election were held today, while 37% would choose the Republican instead.  The week before, the GOP held a one-point advantage, 39% to 38%.

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Generic Congressional Ballot: Democrats 39%, Republicans 37%

Democrats lead Republicans by two points on the Generic Congressional Ballot for the week ending September 1.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 39% of Likely U.S. Voters would vote for the Democrat in their district’s congressional race if the election were held today, while 37% would choose the Republican instead.  The week before, the GOP held a one-point advantage, 39% to 38%.

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President Obama’s Full-Month Approval Rating Holds Steady at 47% in August

When tracking President Obama’s job approval on a daily basis, people sometimes get so caught up in the day-to-day fluctuations that they miss the bigger picture. To look at the longer-term trends, Rasmussen Reports compiles the numbers on a full-month basis, and the results can be seen in the graphics below.

President Obama’s total job approval remained unchanged at 47% in August, still tying the president’s lowest approval rating since December 2011. The president’s ratings for the past three months are more in line with his approval during most of his first term in office.

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41% View Health Care Law Favorably

Most voters still don’t like President Obama’s national health care law, but they favor more strongly than ever government-mandated guidelines for health insurance coverage as long as individuals still can decide how much coverage they want to buy.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 41% of Likely U.S. Voters have at least a somewhat favorable opinion of the health care law, while 52% view it unfavorably. This includes 18% with a Very Favorable opinion of it and 39% with a Very Unfavorable one. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on August 31-September 1, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending August 30, 2013

Week’s end finds the Obama administration out on a limb with its military threats against Syria, and despite President Obama’s enthusiastic embrace this week of the 50th anniversary of the civil rights March on Washington, Americans have a pretty sour view of race relations in this country.

42% Give Obama Good, Excellent Ratings on National Security

As the United States reportedly prepares for a military strike against the Syrian government, voters' opinions of President Obama’s handling of national security is up slightly from recent lows.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 42% of Likely U.S. Voters now think the president is doing a good or excellent job on national security. That's up five points from 37% last week, the lowest level of support for the president’s handling of national security issues in nearly two-and-a-half years.  Thirty-six percent (36%) now rate Obama poorly on national security issues. (To see survey question wording, click here). 

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on August 25-26, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology. 

29% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction

For the third straight week, 29% of Likely U.S. Voters say the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey for the week ending August 25.

Sixty-four percent (64%) of voters now think the country is heading down the wrong track, up a point from the previous week.  From January 2009 until October 2012, belief that the country was on the wrong track ranged from 55% to 80%, but it tracked in the low 50s from just before Election Day until early December.

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The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports on August 19-25, 2013. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

51% Think Obama's Policies Too Hostile To Small Businesses

Voters have consistently felt that President Obama is friendlier toward big businesses than small businesses, and they now believe so more than ever.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 51% of Likely U.S. Voters think the president's policies toward small businesses are too hostile. This is the first time the number who says he is too hostile toward small businesses has topped 50%.  Just three percent (3%) think Obama's policies are too friendly toward small businesses. Thirty-five percent (35%) think they are about right, a new low, while 12% are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on August 23-24, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.