June 08, 2010 06:32 PM UTC

How Much Do They Loathe Thee?

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• by: Colorado Pols

Not a good time to be an incumbent member of Congress, as The Washington Post reports:

As voters head to the polls Tuesday for a crucial set of primary elections, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds antipathy toward their elected officials rising and anti-incumbent sentiment at an all-time high.

The national survey shows that 29 percent of Americans now say they are inclined to support their House representative in November, even lower than in 1994, when voters swept the Democrats out of power in the that chamber after 40 years in the majority.

So, good news for Republicans, right? Maybe not…

The poll also finds growing disapproval of the “tea party” movement, with half the population now expressing an unfavorable impression of the loosely aligned protest campaign that has shaken up politics this year.

And at a time when Republicans anticipate significant gains in House and Senate elections, there is also fresh evidence of the challenges facing the GOP. Six in 10 poll respondents say they have a negative view of the policies put forward by the Republican minority in Congress, and about a third say they trust Republicans over Democrats to handle the nation’s main problems.

This poll reflects similar recent polls showing low approval ratings for Congress but even lower approval for Republicans. Something’s gotta give in this scenario, obviously, but what is clear above all is that, well, nothing is clear. This election season should really be up for grabs.