GOP leads on generic ballot, 46/42

It is a different story in the South where a majority of voters, 51%, seek a GOP controlled Senate next year, perhaps making life difficult for Democratic incumbents in Arkansas, Louisiana and North Carolina…

This might explain why voter enthusiasm has dropped off significantly since the last midterms in 2010 — particularly among Republicans. Four years ago, 53% of Republicans said they were enthusiastic or very enthusiastic about voting, that number has now dropped to 37%. In 2010, 30% of Democrats were enthusiastic about voting — fast forward four years and that number has decreased two points.

Despite the drop-off in voter enthusiasm from 2010, the GOP has an advantage in this category, according to the poll. And other data points show that Obama will not be helpful to many of the endangered Democrats seeking re-election. The CNN/ORC poll shows that 52% of registered voters would support a candidate for Congress who opposes Obama, while 39% would support a candidate that backs the president.