As House Republicans heralded their success Wednesday at passing seven bills from the party's "suburban agenda" through the House, a new poll from GOP pollster David Winston suggests that their plan to win over suburban voters could be working.
The survey shows single-digit increases since July in the percentage of suburban voters who think Republicans can better handle the economy, jobs and energy and gas prices - the same areas House Republicans have targeted for their suburban agenda.
Confidence in Republicans for the other issues in the poll - the Iraq War, immigration and the war on terror - were mostly steady over the three months, although Republicans lead in all three.
But the biggest turnaround is voters' outlook on the economy: 50 percent of those polled think it's on the right track, a 12 percentage point increase from July.
"While Democrats talk the talk without a clear direction, these numbers show that suburban folks increasingly like Republicans because they walk the walk with our plan to fight terrorism and grow jobs," said Ron Bonjean, communications director for Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.).
The poll was commissioned by New Models, a strategic communications firm that works to shape Republican public policy.
On energy and gas prices, 48 percent of those polled chose Democrats - 10 percentage points more than those who thought Republicans could do the job better.
And only 45 percent approved of the job President Bush is doing; 55 percent thought the country is headed in the wrong direction; and if the election were today, only 44 percent would vote Republican.
At a press conference Wednesday, Rep. Mark Kirk (Ill.), who created the suburban agenda in May, and several other House Republicans heralded their success in passing all seven bills of the agenda through the House.
Two of those bills have been enacted into law - one that ensures schools can review the FBI's national criminal data before hiring a new employee and another that creates tax breaks for those who donate property for conservation and open space purposes.
They also unveiled seven more bills they hope to pass during the 2007 legislative session. The bills focus on education, health and conservation. Reps. Judy Biggert (Ill.) and Mike McCaul (Texas) are sponsoring one that promotes alternative energy sources and incentives for the construction of energy-efficient buildings, while Rep. Tim Murphy (Pa.) is sponsoring another that extends medical liability to volunteer doctors at community health centers.
The caucus has attracted 66 House Republicans so far.
