A poll done this week showed that the shutdown could hurt some Republican incumbents in the midterm elections.
Obstructionism may play well for House Republicans in safely red districts, but a poll done this week suggests that the government shutdown may actually hurt Representatives in competitive districts.
In a poll conducted in 24 House districts over Wednesday, Thursday and Friday by Public Policy Polling, registered voters in 17 of those districts favored a generic Democratic challenger over the incumbent Republican.
The Democrats would need to win 17 seats in the 2014 midterm elections to take control of the House.
Republicans have felt the brunt of the public’s anger for the standoff over the government shutdown. Polls released last week by CBS and Fox showed that Americans blame Republicans for the shutdown by a wide margin.
Progressive organizations like MoveOn.org, which paid for the PPP poll, are already preparing to make a push to retake the house, although the general election is still more than a year away.