52% Say Election Is Referendum on Obama’s Agenda

Most voters say today’s election is a referendum on President Obama’s agenda and that he should change course if Republicans win control of the House. But most also don’t expect him to make that change.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 52% of Likely U.S. Voters believe this election is more a referendum on the president’s agenda than about individual candidates and issues. Thirty-eight percent (38%) disagree and say the candidates and issues are paramount. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Only 40% of voters think the president should continue to pursue the same agenda if Republicans gain control of the U.S. House of Representatives as many analysts predict. Fifty-six percent (56%) say Obama should change course in response to the election results.

However, two-out-of-three voters (66%) expect the president not to change but instead to continue to pursue his same agenda if Republicans win control of Congress. Nineteen percent (19%) believe he will change course, but 15% more are not sure.

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on October 28-29, 2010 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.

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