Elections 2010: Anti-Incumbent Moods Exceeds 1994 Levels; Tea Party Support Erodes, New Poll Says

(Washington, D.C.) — June 8, 2010. Americans’ foul political mood is deepening and spreading. It is tainting both Democrats and Republicans and is even souring on Tea Party types.

However, its wrath is especially focused on incumbents, according to a new poll.

A fresh survey by The Washington Post-ABC News says voter support for U.S. House incumbents has reached an historic low, dipping below 1994 levels which wiped-out Democratic control of the U.S. House.

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.

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.

Despite the voter angst with Democratic control, the GOP is failing to burnish its image or advance a popular agenda to contrast with President Barack Obama, whose job approval is holding at 52% .

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.

Overall, 60% of U.S. voters are open to new candidates in November.

In Illinois, that level of historic voter hostility points to peril for Governor Pat Quinn and opportunity for State Senator Bill Brady (R-Bloomington) in the governor’s race. Quinn’s challenge is greater than Brady’s. Quinn needs to change the trajectory of voter opinion, Brady only needs to ride it.