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                            October 2, 2014West Virginia Senate: Capito (R) 50%, Tennant (D) 39%
West Virginia remains one of the Republicans’ best chances to pick up a Democratic seat in the U.S. Senate.
(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 750 Likely Voters in West Virginia was conducted on September 30-October 1, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
October 2, 2014Beyond Marijuana: Legalize All Drugs by Froma Harrop
Thirty years ago, a college kid in Kentucky was caught growing marijuana plants in his closet. That turned him into a convicted felon, and though he's been on the right side of the law ever since, he still can't vote. On any job application, he must check the box next to "Have you ever been convicted of a felony?"
All this misery for growing a plant whose leaves the past three presidents admit having smoked.
 We know this story because Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky keeps telling it. That a Southern Republican probably running for president is condemning such prosecutions as unfair speaks volumes on the collapsing support for the war on marijuana -- part of the larger war on drugs.
Follow Froma Harrop on Twitter @FromaHarrop. She can be reached at fharrop@gmail.com. To find out more about Froma Harrop and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Web page at www.creators.com.
 COPYRIGHT 2014 CREATORS.COM
October 2, 2014Republican Chances of Senate Takeover Are Improving By Larry J. Sabato and Kyle Kondik
The race for the Senate is perceptively moving in the Republicans’ direction, but not so dramatically that we’re ready to call the race definitively for them.
While we’ve long said the 2014 map and midterm dynamics make a GOP takeover of the Senate a probable outcome, there are just too many close races left and more than a month to go, when big gaffes, unexpected legal actions, and national events can potentially flip a Senate seat or two.

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                            October 2, 2014Americans Don’t Think Incumbents Deserve Reelection
Incumbents might have something to worry about this November as voters do not think their local representative is good for the job nor that they deserve to be reelected.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 23% of Likely U.S. Voters think their representative in Congress is the best person for the job. This finding is up slightly from June which was the lowest finding since November 2009. A plurality (41%) believes their local representative is not the best person for the job. This is down six points from the previous survey and is the lowest finding since June 2013. Thirty-six percent (36%) 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 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on September 25-26, 2014 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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                            October 1, 201425% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction
Twenty-five percent (25%) 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 September 28.
The number who say the country is heading in the right direction is unchanged from the previous week and has been below 30% most weeks during the past year. 
(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 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports on September 22-28, 2014. 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.

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                            October 1, 2014Colorado Senate: Gardner (R) 48%, Udall (D) 47%
One of the most crucial races for Republicans to win control of the U.S. Senate remains a dead heat with just over a month to go until Election Day.
A new Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of Likely Colorado Voters finds Republican Cory Gardner picking up 48% of the vote to Democratic Senator Mark Udall’s 47%. Two percent (2%) prefer some other candidate and three percent (3%) are undecided. (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 950 Likely Voters in Colorado was conducted on September 29-30, 2014 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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                            October 1, 2014Obama’s Full-Month Approval Up One Point in September
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.  
The president’s monthly job approval climbed one point to 47% in September, up from his low for the year reached during the past two months. It's still up just two points from his two-year low of 45% reached last November during the troubled roll-out period for the new national health care law. Obama’s approval rating hit a year-to-date high of 49% in February and May.
(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.
Daily tracking results are collected via telephone surveys of 500 likely voters per night. The monthly numbers in this article are based on approximately 15,000 interviews each month with likely voters. The margin of sampling error is less than +/- 1 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.
October 1, 2014It's Better Now by John Stossel
Americans now face beheadings, gang warfare, Ebola, ISIS and a new war in Syria. It's natural to assume that the world has gotten more dangerous. But it hasn't.
People believe that crime has gotten worse. But over the past two decades, murder and robbery in the U.S. are down by more than half, and rape by a third, even as complaints about "rape culture" grow louder.
John Stossel is host of "Stossel" on Fox News and author of "No They Can't! Why Government Fails, but Individuals Succeed." For other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2014 BY JFS PRODUCTIONS INC.
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM

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                            October 1, 2014Voters Strongly Oppose Legal Rights, Government Benefits for Illegal Immigrants
The Obama administration yesterday announced that it is spending $9 million to provide lawyers for some of the young illegal immigrants who flooded across the border earlier this year, but voters strongly believe these illegal immigrants do not have the same legal rights U.S. citizens do.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 68% of Likely U.S. Voters say the new illegal immigrants should not have the same legal rights and protections that U.S. citizens have. Just 19% disagree. Thirteen percent (13%) are not sure. (To see 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 August September 29-30, 2014 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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                            October 1, 2014Fewer Americans Know Someone Who Joined Military to Secure a Job
Most Americans still consider military service good for young people but know fewer people who have joined the military out of frustration with the job market.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 36% of U.S. Adults now say they know someone who has joined the military because of the bad job market. That’s down from 43% a year ago and 39% in January 2012. (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 Adults was conducted on September 26-27, 2014 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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                            September 30, 2014Illinois Governor: Quinn (D) 44%, Rauner (R) 42%
Incumbent Democrat Pat Quinn has edged ahead for the first time this year in Illinois’ gubernatorial race.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Illinois Voters finds Quinn with 44% support to Republican challenger Bruce Rauner’s 42%. Six percent (6%) like some other candidate, and eight percent (8%) are undecided. (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 750 Likely Voters in Illinois was conducted on September 24-25, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 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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                            September 30, 2014Arkansas Governor: Hutchinson (R) 46%, Ross (D) 42%
Republican Asa Hutchinson has pulled slightly ahead of Democrat Mike Ross in the race for Arkansas’ next governor.
Hutchinson now picks up 46% of the vote to Ross’ 42% in the latest Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of Likely Arkansas Voters. Four percent (4%) like another candidate in the race, and eight percent (8%) are undecided. (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 750 Likely Voters in Arkansas was conducted on September 24-25, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 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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                            September 30, 2014Rasmussen Employment Index Slips A Point in September
The Rasmussen Employment Index which measures worker confidence fell slightly in September after reaching an all-time high in August.
At 100.3, worker confidence is down one point from 101.2 last month, the highest finding in six years of regular tracking. The index fell to a recent low of 81.2 last October but gained steadily after that. It stood at 82 in September of last year.
(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 9,284 working Americans was conducted in September 2014 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.
September 30, 2014Democrats Should Be Nicer to the South by Froma Harrop
MOBILE, Ala. -- It's been noticed by just about everyone except what we call the "liberal establishment" that of the eight Senate seats now up for grabs, four are in the South -- Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana and North Carolina. H. Brandt (Brandy) Ayers, the publisher of The Anniston Star in Alabama, has certainly noticed the neglect. And boy, is he frustrated.
Ayers is both a staunch liberal and Southern to the core. If the Democratic Party wants to establish a healthy dialogue in the Southern states, he told me, it has to first say, "We like you." Liberals can't just sigh at the troublesome region's sharp move right and say, "That's a Southern thing."

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                            September 30, 201447% Think Holder More Interested in Politics Than in Justice
Voters think Eric Holder played politics as U.S. attorney general and hope President Obama picks someone who’s not like him to be the nation’s next top law enforcement officer. But those who view the Constitution as “a living document” are much more appreciative of his efforts than those who favor a strict interpretation of that document.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 47% of Likely U.S. Voters believe Holder was more interested in politics than in administering justice in a fair way. Just 28% disagree and think fair administration of justice was Holder’s chief interest. Nearly as many (25%) aren’t 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 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on September 27-28, 2014 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.
September 30, 2014Obama Stands Aloof From America's Four Foreign Policy Traditions By Michael Barone
President Obama's speech at the United Nations last week was "an important turning point in American foreign policy -- and in his presidency." That's the verdict of Brookings Institution scholar and former Clinton White House aide William Galston, a Democrat who has not been an unqualified admirer of this Democratic president's foreign policy.
Whether Obama's decision to launch air strikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and Khorasan terrorists is a turning point, it was at least a move in the direction of a tradition in American foreign policy that has been conspicuously lacking in his administration.

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                            September 30, 2014Will “Yes Means Yes” Mean Fewer Sexual Assaults on College Campuses?
President Obama has pledged to combat the rising number of sexual assaults at colleges and universities, and California this week became the first state to pass a “yes means yes” bill which requires affirmative consent before sexual activity on state-funded campuses. But Americans aren’t sure new codes of sexual conduct will reduce the assault problem and question whether it's something the federal government should be involved in.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 71% of American Adults consider sexual violence at colleges and universities at least a somewhat serious problem, with 32% who think its Very Serious. Fourteen percent (14%) don’t consider sexual violence on college campuses a serious problem, but that includes just two percent (2%) who say it’s Not At All Serious. (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 Facebook.  
The national survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on September 24-25, 2014 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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                            September 29, 2014Illinois Senate: Durbin (D) 51%, Oberweis (R) 37%
The Illinois U.S. Senate seat up for grabs this fall is showing no signs of slipping away from Democrat Dick Durbin.
Illinois remains Safe Democrat in the Rasmussen Reports 2014 Senate Balance of Power rankings. (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 750 Likely Voters in Illinois was conducted on September 24-25, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 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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                            September 29, 2014Generic Congressional Ballot: Democrats 40%, Republicans 39%
Democrats have taken a one-point lead on the latest Generic Congressional Ballot.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey for the week ending September 28 finds that 40% of Likely U.S. Voters would vote for the Democrat in their district’s congressional race if the election were held today, while 39% would choose the Republican.
(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 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from September 22-28, 2014. 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.

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                            September 29, 2014Alaska Governor: Walker (I) 47%, Parnell (R) 42%
The Alaska governor’s race has a revised cast of characters and a new front-runner.
The latest Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of Likely Alaska Voters finds Independent candidate Bill Walker with a 47% to 42% lead over incumbent Republican Governor Sean Parnell. Five percent (5%) like some other candidate in the race, and six percent (6%) are undecided. (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 713 Likely Voters in Alaska was conducted on September 23-24, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.