Two GOP Freshmen Poll Unfavorably in New Hampshire
Republicans dominated New Hampshire’s state and federal elections in the 2010 midterms, but polling released Monday suggests that the state’s two GOP House freshmen could be in trouble next year.
Just 25 percent of 1st district voters had a favorable opinion of Rep. Frank Guinta, while 42 percent had an unfavorable view, according to a survey by Public Policy Polling, a Democratic firm. In the 2nd district, only 30 percent had a favorable opinion of Rep. Charles Bass, while 34 percent had an unfavorable opinion.
PPP surveyed 769 registered New Hampshire voters from March 31 to April 3 and reported a margin of error of 3.5 points. The results released Monday did not include any potential head-to-head matchups.
“Guinta and Bass won less on their own merits than because a) voters were unhappy with Democrats and b) because Democratic leaning voters stayed home in large numbers,” PPP pollster Tom Jensen wrote, suggesting that first-term Members in other states are in similar situations. “Voters are now finding that they don’t like the Republicans in the House any better than they liked the Democrats.”
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee agrees, especially in places such as New Hampshire, where Barack Obama captured both Congressional districts in the 2008 presidential election and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) won in the 2nd district in the 2004 presidential election. New Hampshire’s Congressional districts are two of 61 that are currently held by Republicans but were carried by Obama in 2008.
“Reps. Frank Guinta and Charlie Bass have made themselves increasingly vulnerable by pushing a partisan agenda that is wildly out of touch with New Hampshire voters,” DCCC spokesman Jesse Ferguson said.
Republicans largely brushed aside the new polling numbers.
“This is a partisan poll that out-of-touch Washington Democrats are using to drive their phony spin as an attempt to sell their reckless tax-and-spend agenda, which has been rejected by New Hampshire voters already,” said Tory Mazzola, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee.