Trump Leads In CNN National Poll

Donald Trump has won his party's trust on top issues more than any other Republican presidential candidate, and now stands as the clear leader in the race for the GOP nomination, according to a new CNN/ORC poll.

The survey finds Trump with the support of 24% of Republican registered voters. His nearest competitor, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, stands 11 points behind at 13%. 

Obama Ends Year On An Upswing

Ken O’Brien

Americans are more optimistic about the U.S. economy than they have been in years, and that upbeat mood has pushed President Obama’s job-approval level to its highest point since the spring of 2013, according to a CNN/Opinion Research poll released Tuesday afternoon.

The poll showed 51 percent of Americans with a positive view of the economy, up from 38 percent in October.

It was published on a day that the Dow Jones Industrial Average topped 18,000 for the first time, with the economy’s growth rate up to 5 percent in the fall. 

Southbridge - Mayor Maybe? (Vote in our poll)

Ken O’Brien

With the imminent departure of Town Manager Christopher Clark I believe that it is time to resurrect a proposal that I have put forward in the past. I have been encouraged as well by several people asking me to create a poll gauging public interest in such a proposal.

The issue in question is the proposition that Southbridge switch from its current town manager/council form of government to a mayor/council format. 

Cockroaches And Dog Poop More Popular Than Congress

There's been no shortage of polls out in the last few days showing that Congress has a poor approval rating. Public Policy Polling found that only 8% of voters approve of the job it's doing compared to 85% who disapprove.

In an effort to get some more perspective on those terrible approval numbers though, PPP tested Congress head to head with a couple dozen dubious things to see what came out ahead and for the most part the results for Congress aren't too hot.

Only Pakistan Favors Romney Presidency Of 21 Countries Surveyed

Ken O’Brien

A BBC World Service opinion poll has found sharply higher overseas approval ratings for US President Barack Obama than Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

An average of 50% favored Mr. Obama, with 9% for Mr. Romney, in the survey of 21,797 people in 21 countries. 

Warren Leads Brown By 5 Points In Latest Poll

Ken O’Brien

The latest Boston Globe poll shows Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren leading incumbent Senator Scott Brown by 43% to 38%. However, the poll shows that 18% of those polled remain undecided.

This is a turnaround for Warren from the last Globe poll conducted in May when Senator Brown held a two point lead. The result, though, still falls within the poll’s margin of error of plus or minus 4.4%.

During the month of September there have been a total of eight public polls on the race, six of which showed Warren in the lead. 

A Watered Down Tea Party

Ken O’Brien

The Tea Party’s impact is becoming increasingly diluted.

The tea party movement finds itself losing popular support, according to a new ABC News/Washington Post poll released yesterday.