Poll: Only 8 percent support incumbents

Only 8 percent of adults would reelect incumbent lawmakers, according to the latest CBS News/New York Times poll.

Eighty-one percent of respondents said that they would vote senators and congressmen out of office.

{mosads}The poll, which was taken Feb. 5-10, comes about nine months before voters take to the polls in the 2010 midterm elections.

The numbers underscore the high anti-incumbent sentiment heading into the election season, spelling danger for the large Democratic majorities in Congress. The 8 percent figure is the lowest support incumbents have received since the poll started asking the question in 1992.

Democrats have admitted they will lose seats this cycle but have denied that anti-incumbent sentiment is enough to overturn their majorities. Most Republicans remain confident they can take back the House, in which all members are up for reelection.

Approximately one-third of the Senate is up for reelection this cycle.

Congress also received its lowest approval rating in the polling records supplied by CBS News and the New York Times, which date back to July 1977.

Seventy-five percent disapproved of the job Congress is doing while only 15 percent approved of its job performance.

Disapproval is at its highest since Congress took up the banking bailouts in the fall of 2008.

Seventy-four percent said they disapproved of its job performance in October 2008 but approval of Congress was lower then, at only 12 percent.

The poll surveyed 1,084 adults had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent.