Slight Majority Says Lott Should Go

Dec. 16 -- A bare majority of Americans — including more than a third within his own party, and more than two-thirds of racial minorities — say Trent Lott should step down as Republican leader of the U.S. Senate.

Given his comment in support of Strom Thurmond's 1948 segregationist campaign for president — for which Lott has apologized — 51 percent in an ABCNEWS/Washington Post poll say he should give up his leadership post, while 41 percent say he should keep it.

Calls for Lott's resignation are particularly high among blacks — 78 percent — and other racial minorities, among whom 68 percent say he should go. The Republicans have expressed hopes of making inroads among these traditionally Democratic groups.

The poll, conducted Thursday though Sunday, shows no effect of Lott's latest apology at a news conference Friday; support for his departure did not decline after he spoke. ABCNEWS' This Week with George Stephanopoulos reported Sunday that Don Nickles of Oklahoma had become the first GOP senator to question publicly whether Lott can continue to lead his party in the Senate.

The Civil Rights Issue

The controversy underscores a competitive disadvantage for the Republican Party on the broader issue of civil rights. While 60 percent of Americans say the Republicans are committed to equal opportunity for minorities, that rises to 78 percent for the Democratic Party. Specifically among blacks, just 29 percent think the Republicans are committed to equal opportunity, compared to 67 percent for the Democrats.

At the same time, the Lott controversy does not appear to have damaged the Republican Party's overall favorability rating; at 56 percent, it's precisely the same as the Democrats'. The GOP rating hit a nearly 10-year high last winter, then settled back by midsummer.

Groups

As noted, more than two-thirds of racial minorities favor Lott's resignation. Support for his departure also peaks in the West (63 percent), among city dwellers (60 percent), young adults (56 percent) and better-educated Americans (55 percent). Whites divide about evenly; Lott's support is highest, at 52 percent, among conservatives.