Poll: Voters Want Candidates To Combat Deficit With Revenue And Cuts

With the 2012 elections on the horizon, a majority of voters say that they would prefer a Congressional candidate who is open to reducing the deficit via spending cuts and tax increases, according to a new poll from Rasmussen Reports.

According to the survey, 56 percent of respondents said they would vote for a candidate who supports a balanced approached. In contrast, only 34 percent said they would back a candidate automatically opposed to any increases.

“These results suggest that focusing exclusively on opposition to tax hikes rather than solutions to the federal deficit crisis is a losing position for Republicans,” Rasmussen Reports President Scott Rasmussen said in a statement. “Spending cuts are preferred over tax hikes, but the primary objective right now is to reduce the debt.”

The poll, which was conducted among 1,000 likely voters between July 22^nd and 23^rd, comes as lawmakers attempt to craft a deal to simultaneously combat the deficit and raise the debt ceiling. Republicans have vehemently opposed any attempt to raise revenue that would increase taxes. According to a Rasmussen poll from July, 14^th, 55 percent of Americans opposed raising taxes as part of a deal to increase the debt limit.