Independent voters shun Republicans

A poll this week found that independents, a sometimes unpredictable group, plan to support Democrats over Republicans by an almost two-to-one margin in congressional elections to be held in a week and a half.

Those results are worrisome for ruling Republicans because independents -- who often cast their vote based on the qualities of the individual candidate rather than party affiliation -- are key swing voters in a year in which there are many tight races.

Forty-five percent of independents said it would be good if Democrats took control of the lower House of Representatives, 10 percent said the opposite, and the rest said it would not matter, according to the survey by The Washington Post and ABC News.