Iowa: Government and Politics

• Political System
• Trust In Government
• Government Performance
• Divided Government
• Primary System
• Third Parties
• Federal Government
• Government Scandals: Mark Foley

Political System

American Political System Broken

1 "Some people say that America's political system is badly broken. Do you agree?"

Trust In Government

Trust the Government to Do What Is Right

1 "How much of the time do you think you can trust the government to do what's right - just about always, most of the time, only some of the time, or never?"

Government Performance

Satisfaction with Iowa Government Performance by State Function

1 "For each of the following state functions, please tell me if you are mostly satisfied or mostly unsatisfied with the state's performance."

Divided Government

Party Control of Government Preference

1 "When you think about the way state government works, do you think it works in the best interest of the state when the governor and a majority of the state legislature are from the same party, or is it best when they are from opposing parties?" The Iowa Poll is sponsored by The Des Moines Register.

Primary System

Support for Super Delegates System in Democratic Party

1 "The Democratic Party has delegates and super delegates. Is the idea of having super delegates good or bad?" Asked of registered voters who pay a lot of attention to politics.

Independence of Super Delegate Vote

1 "Should super delegates be free to vote for whichever Democrat they wish? Or should super delegates be bound by some criteria when they cast their vote?"

Third Parties

Consider Voting for Independent or Third Party Candidate for President

1 "Would you consider voting for an independent or third party candidate for president - that is, a candidate who is neither Democratic nor Republican?"

Federal Government

Federal Government Represents the Will of the People

1 "Generally speaking, does the federal government represent the will of the people?"

Federal Government Is Its Own Special Interest Group

1 "Some people believe that the federal government has become a special interest group that looks out primarily for its own interests. What do you think? Has the federal government become a special interest group?"

Government Scandals: Mark Foley

Following News Stories About Congressman Foley Page Scandal

1 "How closely have you followed news stories about the situation involving Congressman Mark Foley?"

House Leadership Handling of Foley Page Scandal

1 "How do you rate the way that Republican leaders in Congress have handled the Foley situation?"

House Leadership Handling of Foley Page Scandal

1 "(As you may know, Republican congressman Mark Foley recently resigned from office because he reportedly sent explicit Internet messages to young males who had worked as pages in Congress. We'd like to ask you a few questions about this.) Do you approve or disapprove of the way House leaders, particularly Speaker Dennis Hastert, handled the revelations about Foley?"

Republican Cover Up of Foley Page Scandal

1 "Do you think the national Republican leadership covered up the circumstances leading to Mark Foley's resignation?"

Importance of Foley Page Scandal As Voting Issue

1 "In terms of impacting your vote this fall, how important is the situation involving Mark Foley?"

Impact of Foley Resignation on Vote Choice

1 "Does the resignation of Mark Foley make you more likely to vote for Democratic or Republican candidates in this year's election, or does it have no real effect on your vote?"

Democratic Involvement in Foley Resignation

1 "Do you think Democrats orchestrated the circumstances leading to Mark Foley's resignation?"

Democratic Leadership Handling of Situation if Foley Was Democrat

1 "Suppose that Foley had been a Democrat. Would Democratic leaders in Congress have handled the situation better, worse, or about the same?"

Inappropriate Congressional Relations with Staff Commonplace

1 "How common is it for members of Congress to have inappropriate relations with their staff?"