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Low congressional approval could spell trouble for incumbents

Just 15% of Americans approve of how Congress is doing its job, according to a Gallup survey released Tuesday.
The West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol is seen on July 3, 2014.
The West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol is seen on July 3, 2014.

Just 15% of Americans approve of how Congress is doing its job, according to a Gallup survey released Tuesday.

The current approval rating is actually up six points from its lowest level at 9% after the federal government shutdown last fall. The poll could signal trouble for politicians seeking re-election in the midterm elections, which are just three months away.

“The stability in this metric -- it has not fluctuated much over the course of this year -- suggests that the 435 House members and one-third of the Senate who face re-election could do so amid the lowest congressional approval ratings for a midterm election in modern political history,” Gallup's Andrew Dugan wrote in his analysis of the poll.

One figure in the poll may prove worrisome for incumbents seeking another term -- Americans want big changes in government.

Nearly a quarter of Americans -- 22% -- want to start over entirely, replacing every member of Congress, signaling growing support for fresh-faced candidates who campaign against Washington dysfunction.

The Gallup poll was conducted between July 7 and July 10 of 1,013 American adults. It's margin of error was plus-or-minus four percentage points.