Most voters blame Republicans for the government shutdown

A new poll shows most voters blame Republicans for the government shutdown that went into effect overnight.

According to a poll released Tuesday morning by Quinnipiac University, 55 percent of voters say gridlock in Washington was caused by Republicans who are determined to block any initiative by President Barack Obama, while 33 percent of voters blame the president’s lack of skill.

The poll found that 28 percent of voters blame Republicans for gridlock, while just 10 percent blame Democrats and 58 percent say both parties are equally to blame.

Congressional Republicans scored their lowest-ever approval rating, at 74 percent disapproval and 17 percent approval, while Democrats scored a 60-32 percent approval rating.

Looking ahead to next year’s midterm elections, voters chose a generic Democrat over a generic Republican by a 43-34 margin, the widest Democratic margin measured so far.

The poll also found that 72 percent of voters opposed shutting down the federal government to block the Affordable Care Act, while 64 percent of voters opposed blocking the increase of the debt ceiling to stop implementation of Obamacare.

Republicans supported the government shutdown by a 49-44 percent margin while opposition was 90-6 among Democrats and 74-19 among independent voters, the poll found.

The poll showed Americans were divided 47-45 percent in opposition to Obamacare, but voters were 58-34 percent against cutting off funding to stop implementation of the health care law.

The poll was conducted between Sept. 23 and 30 and surveyed 1,497 registered voters by telephone and cell phone with a margin of error of 2.5 percent.