If the midterm election were held today, Republicans would likely experience a wave just shy of what was accomplished in 2010, according to a poll of likely voters from CBS.

Just don’t expect CBS to tout that poll. There was no mention of it Wednesday night on “CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley,” which aired when the poll was released, according the Media Research Center's Newsbusters blog. Even finding the poll on the website takes quite a bit of maneuvering. And there’s good reason for that.

When asked whether they would vote Republican or Democrat if the 2014 U.S. House elections were held today, 46 percent of likely voters said they would vote Republican, with 40 percent saying they would vote Democrat.

When CBS presented this same poll in 2010, Republicans had an eight-point lead over Democrats in a generic ballot. Republicans one month later would gain 63 seats in the House to flip control of the chamber.

Now, obviously, Republicans already have control of the House, but they can increase their numbers and potentially pick up the Senate majority in the process.

The poll shows the GOP in good standing among independents, leading Democrats in a generic ballot by 29 points among the group.

The poll also found that among registered voters, 47 percent would like to see Republicans gain control of the Senate, with 42 percent saying they would prefer Democrats keep control. The poll did not present data on likely voters.

One interesting thing the poll found was that registered voters believed Democrats were more empathetic, but that Republicans would do a better job handling important issues like terrorism, the economy and foreign policy.

On empathy, 50 percent of registered voters said the Democratic Party cares more about people like them, with just 34 percent saying the same of Republicans. Women (52 percent) were slightly more likely than men (49 percent) to believe the Democratic Party cared more about them.

But on the issues, Republicans outshine Democrats by a mile. Fifty-three percent of registered voters believe Republicans would do a better job handling terrorism, compared to just 32 percent who said the same of Democrats. On the economy, 49 percent said Republicans would do a better job, with 40 percent saying Democrats would. And on foreign policy in general, 49 percent believed Republicans would handle situations around the world better, with 38 percent believing Democrats would handle them better.

So the message seems to be: If you need a hug, you vote Democrat. But if you want someone to handle the issues, you vote Republican.