GOP has image issues, poll says

PRINCETON, N.J., Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Image, as the ad says, is everything and the Republican Party has an image problem in the United States, results from a Gallup Poll indicate.

Only 34 percent of Americans who participated in the survey released Thursday say they have a favorable image of the Republican Party, down from 40 percent in mid-October. The 61 percent who suggested an unfavorable view of the party is the highest Gallup said it has recorded since 1992, when it began taking the image measurement.

In contrast, the Democratic Party maintained the positive image it had after the Nov. 4 election, the Princeton, N.J., polling agency said. Fifty-five percent of Americans polled said they have a favorable view of the Democratic Party and 39 percent an unfavorable view, results indicate.

The Republican Party's image began cracking in December 2005, when Republicans and Democrats were rated about equally, Gallup said. Soon thereafter, however, the Republicans' favorable rating fell to 36 percent and the party has struggled to cross to mroe than 40 percent since.

Results are based on nationwide telephone interviews Nov. 13-16 with 1,009 adults. The margin of error is 3 percentage points.