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The new Politico poll of likely voters in swing states and competitive districts isn’t all that bad for Democrats. Yes, the poll found that respondents would prefer to vote for a generic Republican over a generic Democrat, 41 percent to 34 percent. It also found that they’re not happy with Barack Obama: 59 percent said they disapproved of his job performance as president.

And yet, the poll found substantial support for the Democratic view on two crucial issues: Gun control and immigration reform.



A full 79 percent of respondents said they favored stricter background checks for gun purchasers in the United States, with only 9 percent strongly opposed and 12 percent somewhat opposed. Seventy-five percent said they considered the issue either somewhat or very important in determining which candidate they would support in November.

The numbers on comprehensive immigration reform were almost as lopsided. Seventy-one percent said they supported reform, with 12 percent strongly opposed and 16 percent somewhat opposed. Seventy-three percent said comprehensive immigration reform was important in determining which candidate they would support.

So even in a Republican-leaning crowd, Democrats are more in tune with likely voters on guns and immigration. Too bad for Democrats that being on the right, popular side of these issues may not be enough to get them into office.