Voters Sour on Obama, Warm to GOP Congress

President Obama's approval rating has sunk to a new low, and a majority of the public would now prefer that Republicans control Congress as a check on his power, a new Washington Post/ABC News poll reveals. Obama's approval dropped 5 points to 41%, his lowest ever by one point, and those who "strongly disapprove" outnumber those who "strongly approve" by 17 points. Voters say they prefer a Republican-controlled Congress by a 53-39 margin. The Post notes that split mirrors the response it got to the same question in September 2010, in advance of the GOP's big win.

The economy appears to be a major factor, with 71% viewing the economy negatively. Among those people, 62% favor Republican control. The news isn't all bad for Democrats, though. The public trusts Democrats more than Republicans to solve the country's "main problems," and favors Democratic positions on minimum wage, same-sex marriage, and women's issues. When asked how they'll actually vote this fall, 45% said they'd pull the lever for a Democratic House candidate, to only 44% for Republicans. (More Barack Obama stories.)