CBS' Wallace claimed voters "don't want to see Democrats in control of the Congress" -- polling shows otherwise

On the October 23 broadcast of the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, CBS News political analyst and former Bush White House communications director Nicolle Wallace claimed, "At the end of the day, no matter how discontent some voters are, they really don't want to see Democrats in control of the Congress." Recent polling, however, indicates that a majority of voters do want to see Democrats take control of Congress.

In an October 19-22 Cook Political Report/RT Strategies poll, 57 percent of "most-likely voters" indicated that they would prefer a Democrat-controlled Congress, compared with 35 percent who said they would prefer Republicans, when asked: "[R]egardless of how you might plan to vote in your own district, which party would you like to see in control of Congress after the congressional elections in November?" Among registered voters, the poll found that 49 percent preferred a Democratic Congress, while 37 percent favored Republicans.

Similarly, an October 19-20 Newsweek poll found that 55 percent of registered voters preferred that the Democrats take control of Congress. Just 32 percent wanted the Republicans to remain in power.

From the October 23 broadcast of the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric:

WALLACE: Well, I don't think the president creates as much of a problem for Republicans or any incumbent as this general sense, as Mike said, that voters have that Washington isn't working. And I think that has as much to do with some of the scandals having to do with big Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff, with some of the other issues they've had. They're not running a candidate, and Tom DeLay --

KATIE COURIC (anchor): But the president's standing, Nicolle, really is a drag for a lot of these candidates.

WALLACE: Well, the president has made difficult decisions, and certainly Republican operatives put this all under a category that they call the climate. At the end of the day, no matter how discontent some voters are, they really don't want to see Democrats in control of the Congress.

—S.S.M.