Democrats would shoulder more blame than Republicans if US defaults on debt: poll

More voters would blame Democrats than Republicans if the U.S. defaults on the national debt, according to a new poll.

The survey, conducted by Politico and Morning Consult, found that 33 percent of registered voters surveyed said they would blame the Democratic Party if the U.S. defaults on the national debt, while 16 percent would place the onus on the Republican Party.

Forty-two percent of respondents said they would blame both parties equally, and 9 percent said they do not know or had no opinion.

When broken down by party, 18 percent of Democrats polled said they would blame their own party if the U.S. defaults on its debt, while 27 percent said they would blame the Republican Party. Forty-three percent of Democrats said the blame falls on both parties equally.

For Republicans, 54 percent said they would blame the Democratic Party, with only 9 percent blaming the GOP. Thirty-two percent said both parties would equally share the blame.

Most independents, 51 percent, said both parties would equally share the blame, followed by 27 percent who said Democrats and 10 percent who said Republicans.

The polling numbers come as Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill are deadlocked on raising the debt ceiling: Democrats want to increase the limit but Republicans are refusing to do so, saying that those on the left should go at it alone.

Democrats are approaching the issue with urgency, especially after Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned congressional leaders earlier this month that the U.S. is on track to default on the national debt in October unless the limit is raised.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced in a joint statement on Monday that Democrats will include the debt limit suspension in its short-term government spending bill, raising the stakes on the legislation that is needed to keep the government running after refunding expires Sept. 30.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has vowed to block legislation to raise the debt limit if Democrats continue pushing their $3.5 trillion reconciliation package.

On Monday, sources told The Hill that McConnell has privately urged Republican senators to vote against raising the debt ceiling.

The move by Pelosi and Schumer to include the debt ceiling suspension in the continuing resolution is setting the scene for a showdown between the two parties, with a government shutdown on the table and plenty of blame to be passed around.

Democrats will blame Republicans if they block the continuing resolution, but the GOP will likely argue that Democrats could have raised the debt limit alone through reconciliation.

The poll surveyed 1,998 registered voters from Sept. 18 to Sept. 20. The margin of error is plus or minus 2 percentage points.