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March 11, 2015

Should The Federal Government Sell Off Some Of Its Land?

Belief is down that the federal government owns too much of America and that it should sell some of that land to reduce the federal debt. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook

The survey of 800 Likely Voters nationwide was conducted on February 26-27, 2015 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

March 10, 2015

Take Hillary Out of the Mix, and the Democratic Nominee is…

Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden jump to the head of the list of Democratic contenders if Hillary Clinton chooses not to run for president in 2016.

Democrats worried about the e-mail and foreign donation controversies now surrounding Clinton are beginning to talk about other possible presidential candidates for next year, but the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 88% of Likely Democratic Voters still believe Clinton is likely to be their party’s nominee. This includes 60% who say it’s Very Likely. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on March 8-9, 2015 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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March 10, 2015

King v. Burwell's Very Existence Says a Lot About Obamacare By Michael Barone

On Wednesday the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in King v. Burwell, the case challenging the IRS's decision to pay subsidies to lower-income health insurance buyers in states with federal insurance exchanges -- even though the Obamacare legislation authorizes subsidies only in states with exchanges "established by the state."

The Obama administration is thus in the uncomfortable position of arguing that the president's signature law says what it doesn't say. Nevertheless, initial analyses of the oral argument suggest the government might win.

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March 10, 2015

The Dilemma: Angry at Obamacare, Angrier Without It by Froma Harrop

Obamacare supporters are praying that the Supreme Court won't chop down a main pillar of the Affordable Care Act -- but not so fervently, one suspects, as the politicians who've been demanding the law's demise. That's because come the next election, Republicans will have to face the voters they've made angry over Obamacare -- but who will be angrier should they lose it.

March 10, 2015

Support Is Down for Enforcement of Existing Gun Laws

More than half of voters now oppose stricter gun control laws, and belief that the country needs stricter enforcement of laws that already exist is also down. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on March 2-3, 2015 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.

March 9, 2015

Generic Congressional Ballot: Republicans 41%, Democrats 36%

Republicans have jumped to a five-point lead over Democrats on this week’s Generic Congressional Ballot.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey for the week ending March 5 finds that 41% of Likely U.S. Voters would vote for the Republican candidate in their district's congressional race if the election were held today, while 36% would choose the Democrat instead. Nearly one-in-four voters (22%) continue to prefer a third-party candidate or are undecided.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook

The national telephone survey of 2,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from March 1-5, 2015. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

March 9, 2015

Voters Troubled by Hillary’s Private E-Mails, Foreign Donations

Voters have national security concerns about Hillary Clinton’s use of a private e-mail provider while serving as secretary of State but aren’t as sure she was trying to hide anything. More troubling are the large donations made to the private Clinton Foundation by foreign governments while Clinton was the nation’s chief overseas diplomat. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on March 4-5, 2015 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.

March 9, 2015

Voters Still Fault Feds For Illegal Immigration

Most voters continue to believe federal government policies encourage illegal immigration, but they still aren’t convinced states should go it alone in enforcing immigration laws. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on March 4-5, 2015 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.

March 7, 2015

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending March 7, 2015

If it’s in the news, it’s in our polls, and this week we really showed it.

March 6, 2015

Daylight Savings Time: Still Worth It?

It’s time for the clocks to “spring ahead” this weekend, but many Americans still don’t see the point.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 81% of Americans are aware they have to move the clocks forward for Daylight Savings Time (DST) this Sunday. But that’s down eight points from the start of DST last year. Eleven percent (11%) think they are supposed to be changing the clocks back, and eight percent (8%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 800 American Adults was conducted on February 27-28, 2015 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

March 6, 2015

Is Bibi Winning His Case on Iran?

It looks like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is winning the argument so far over the deal President Obama is trying to make with Iran. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on March 4-5, 2015 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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March 6, 2015

Is This a Scandal -- Or a 'Scandal'? By Joe Conason

To someone who has watched many "scandals" surrounding Hillary Rodham Clinton evaporate into the Washington mist -- even when Pulitzer Prize-winning pundits predicted that she would end up in prison! -- the current furor over her emails hardly seems earthshaking.  

March 6, 2015

No Place Like Home - Environmentally, That Is

Voters still give positive marks to their local environment but think the environment as a whole is getting worse. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The national survey of 800 Likely U.S. Voters was conducted on February 26-27, 2015 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC . See methodology.

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March 6, 2015

Most Members of Congress Share Netanyahu's View By Michael Barone

If anyone had any doubts that most members of Congress oppose the Obama administration's proposed nuclear deal with Iran, they can put them aside after viewing the response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech before Congress Tuesday.

Fifty-some Democratic members chose not to attend. Joe Biden arranged to be out of town, and Barack Obama let it be known that he didn't even have time to watch on television. But the House chamber was packed, the galleries were filled and Netanyahu was interrupted multiple times not only with applause but boisterous cheers.

March 5, 2015

Who Best Can Prevent Teen Suicide?

As stories of teen suicide continue to appear in the news, Americans are taking it seriously and feel strongly about who should be responsible for preventing such tragedies.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls).  Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The national survey of 800 Adults nationwide was conducted February 27-28, 2015 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

March 5, 2015

Voters Question Justice Department’s Motives, Powers

The U.S. Justice Department has charged the Ferguson, Missouri police department with a systematic pattern of racial discrimination but stopped short of charging police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of black teenager Michael Brown. Exiting Attorney General Eric Holder wants to make it easier for the Justice Department to prosecute civil rights complaints. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on March 2-3, 2015 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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March 5, 2015

Lower Fares No Substitute for Higher Wages By Froma Harrop

The idea of helping low-income people by subsidizing their fares on public transportation sounds noble. It truly does. But as a means of confronting the national problem of meager paychecks, it's rather misdirected. 

March 5, 2015

Voters Highly Suspicious of Government Spending

Voters still strongly distrust the way the federal government spends tax dollars and think there is not enough oversight of how that money is spent.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls).  Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 800 Likely Voters was conducted on February 26-27, 2015 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3.5 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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March 5, 2015

Coattails and Correlation By Geoffrey Skelley

Few political observers will be surprised that the correlation between presidential and Senate results has been increasing over the last few presidential election cycles. That is, during a presidential election year, the Senate race in state A has increasingly tended to have a similar outcome to the presidential result in state A. Other analysts have noted the growing relationship between the two variables, such as National Journal, which produced a great infographic examining the 2000 to 2012 elections.

March 4, 2015

30% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction

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

This finding is down one point from the previous week. The week ending January 25, the percentage of voters who felt the country was heading in the right direction hit 35%, the highest level of confidence in nearly two years, but has been trending down since then. The number of voters who think the country is heading in the right direction has been 30% or higher since mid-December after being in the mid- to high 20s most weeks since mid-June 2013.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook

The national telephone survey of 2,800 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from February 23-March 1, 2015. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.