GOP looks stronger than Democrats before 2006 takeover

Republicans have opened up a double digit lead among likely voters on the generic Congressional ballot according to the latest survey by the Pew Research Center, outperforming where Democrats stood in the same poll when they took over Congress in 2006.

The new survey shows GOP candidates building a 50 percent to 40 percent lead among likely voters. In November 2006, Pew's pre-election poll showed Democrats with a narrower 47 percent to 43 percent advantage among likely voters. The GOP opens up an even larger lead in competitive districts at 51 percent to 39 percent.

Whereas Democrats enjoyed a 7-point edge among independents in 2006, Republicans now hold a staggering 19-point advantage among this group. In fact, the Republicans' lead extends to nearly every demographic category -- they're ahead among men and women; all education levels; all age groups; among those earning above $30,000; and in the West, Midwest, and South. The only segments of the population where Democrats enjoy advantages are among black voters, those earning less than $30,000, the religiously unaffiliated, and Northeasterners (where they lead by just 1 point). But even where Democrats do hold advantages, they have lost considerable ground relative to 2006.

The Midwest experienced the largest turnaround of any other region -- going from an 11-point Democratic advantage to a 16 point Republican advantage.