Americans view Democrats and Republicans with near-equal skepticism going into this year’s party conventions, according to a USA Today/Gallup poll released Wednesday.
The poll found that just 43 percent of registered voters have a favorable view of the Democratic Party, down 11 points from 2008 and its worst pre-convention rating since Gallup began taking the survey in 1992.
The GOP is doing only slightly better, with 44 percent approval, which is 3 points better than in 2008.
The poll showed that voters’ impressions of both parties gradually have worsened since 1992, when Democrats and Republicans had approval ratings of 54 percent and 53 percent, respectively.
Democrats’ previous lowest rating was 48 percent in 2004, which along with 2012 are the only years over the 20-year span in which they were viewed less favorably than Republicans at the start of convention season.
ELECTIONS
One-third of doubted voters found to be U.S. citizens
DENVER — Nearly one-third of people whose citizenship and right to vote were questioned by Colorado’s secretary of state are U.S. citizens, election officials said Wednesday, though the status of a majority of them remains undetermined.
Secretary of State Scott Gessler, a Republican, sent letters this month to nearly 4,000 people questioning their citizenship as part of a plan to have them voluntarily withdraw or confirm their eligibility to vote.
State officials were able to run 1,400 of those names through a federal immigration database and found that more than 1,200 were U.S. citizens. So far, they have found none who is a non-citizen and is registered to vote.
Martha Tierney, an attorney for the Colorado Democratic Party, told election officials during a meeting Wednesday that they were wasting their time on a small group of voters. “This is a witch hunt and you should be embarrassed that you’re going down this road,” she said.
Mr. Gessler’s office plans to release updated figures Thursday detailing how many of the 4,000 people responded directly to affirm their citizenship or withdraw their voter registration. He said no further action will be taken involving people who did not respond to the letters.
FLORIDA
Rubio: Both parties need to improve with Hispanics
TAMPA — Sen. Marco Rubio says both political parties need to do more to address the needs of Hispanic Americans.
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