Two new polls out from Rasmussen today suggest that even Democrats who voted against health care reform are in serious danger of losing their seats. The first shows that 54% of respondents favor repealing ObamaCare, essentially unchanged from last week.
The second shows that Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D., now leads one of her potential Republican challengers, Secretary of State Chris Nelson, by only 44%-42%. In February, she led 45%-38%. Herseth Sandlin, co-chair of the Blue Dogs, a group of more moderate Democrats, voted against the health care bill both in November and in March, and was outspoken against the "Slaughter solution", dubbing it "poison."
Her lackluster numbers can be linked to voters' preference for repealing ObamaCare, even though she voted against it.
One of the necessary steps for repealing ObamaCare is making Speaker Nancy Pelosi into Minority Leader Pelosi. Unfortunately for Herseth Sandlin, a vote for her is also a vote for keeping Pelosi as Speaker in 2011. By most accounts Herseth Sandlin is quite likable, so no doubt some South Dakota voters will be facing a stark choice: either vote against a woman they like, or vote for a woman they don't.
Herseth Sandlin has to hope that her votes against ObamaCare will add to her likability in South Dakota and offset the Pelosi poison. But the latest polls suggest that they aren't. |