GOP favorability rating similar to 2008

PRINCETON, N.J., Aug. 29 (UPI) -- The Republican Party's favorability ratings among U.S. voters this year closely match 2008 ratings before party convention began, Gallup said Wednesday.

Forty-four percent of registered voters said they had a favorable view of the GOP, which was similar before the 2008 convention kicked off, results from the USA Today-Gallup poll indicated. The Republican National Convention gaveled in Monday in Tampa, Fla.

Forty-three percent of registered voters said they viewed their party favorably, 11 percent lower than in 2008, and the lowest pre-convention rating since Gallup began tracking it in 2002, the Princeton, N.J., polling agency said. The Democratic National Convention is next week in Charlotte, N.C.

Gallup said the relatively low favorability ratings for both parties likely reflect a broader dissatisfaction with the country's direction and government leaders, including Congress.

The parity also reflects political polarization Gallup said it sees in national party identification. However, the pollster said it wasn't unusual for the major political parties to have similar ratings at this point in an election year, including in 2004, 2000 and 1992.

Results are based on nationwide telephone interviews conducted Aug. 20-23 with 1,033 adults. The margin of error is 4 percentage points.