Polls Offer Glimmers of Hope for Democrats

If Democrats are desperate for signs of hope heading into the midterms, two new polls may be about as good as they're going to get:

• A New York Times/CBS survey finds that while most people (63%) don't like them, even more (73%) don't like Republicans. The stat provides "a potential opening for Democrats to make a last-ditch case for keeping their hold on power," write Jeff Zeleny and Megan Thee-Brenan. Also good for Dems: Most people still blame George W. Bush and Wall Street for the economic mess, not President Obama. Still, voters are clearly angry—the highest percentage in 20 years say it's time for their own congressman to go—and most don't think Obama has the right answers.

• A Politico poll, meanwhile, says most voters think the GOP will take over both the House and Senate. But respondents were split at 43-43 when asked whether they would vote for a Democrat or Republican. "This is good news for Democrats and at odds with many other public polls, which have shown Republicans holding a single-digit edge," write Charles Mahtesian and Jim Vandehei. More significantly, Democrats actually hold an edge in key battleground regions of the Midwest and Northeast.

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