Three-quarters of the public disapprove of Congress

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boston.com/news
Both Democrats and Republicans up for reelection in the fall face a toxic environment, according to a New York Times/CBS poll.

Three-quarters of the public disapprove of Congress, matching the highest level since the poll began asking the question in 1977. Four out of five voters thought Congress was more interested in serving special interests than the interests of voters.

Both attitudes translate into perhaps the most ominous figure for those legislators preparing their election strategy: Fewer than 1 in 10 Americans says members of Congress deserve reelection.

As the party in power, Democrats face a particular risk from a wave of voter discontent; unfavorable views of the Democratic Party (51 percent) are as high as they have been since the Republican takeover of Congress in 1994.

The nationwide telephone poll of 1,084 adults was taken from Feb. 5 through Feb. 10 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.