Voters who describe themselves as evangelical or born again are an important voting bloc in Republican presidential politics. In the 2008 Republican nomination contests, 44 percent of voters identified themselves as evangelical or born-again.

That percentage was even higher in two important early states -- Iowa and South Carolina. In 2008, 60 percent of Iowa Republican caucus goers were evangelicals, and in South Carolina that number was 55 percent.

Evangelicals helped propel Mike Huckabee to victory in Iowa despite being outspent by rival Mitt Romney. Forty-six percent of evangelicals voted for Huckabee, while just 19 percent backed Romney. Even though John McCain was able to pull out a victory in South Carolina, Huckabee won the support of 43 percent of evangelicals, compared to 27 percent for McCain. Romney received the backing of only 11 percent of this group.

Mitt Romney performed better in early states where evangelical voters made up a smaller share of the electorate. He placed second to John McCain (by 6 points) in New Hampshire, where 21 percent of Republican primary voters identified themselves as evangelicals, and he handily won the Nevada caucuses. Nineteen percent of Nevada caucus goers were evangelicals, but more, 26 percent, shared Romney's religion - Mormonism.

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The latest CBS News poll shows a two-thirds majority of Americans support raising the taxes of households with incomes of $1,000,000 or more - which President Obama and some Democrats in Congress have proposed. Support for the "millionaire's tax" rises as high as 83 percent among Democrats, and while 54 percent of Republicans oppose it, four in ten think tax increases for these upper income households are a good idea.

Even more affluent Americans support raising taxes for millionaires: 60 percent of those with incomes of $100,000 or more think that should be done.

At the same time, just 25 percent of Americans overall think doing so will lead to more jobs, which has been a priority for the public for many months.

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CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto.

Herman Cain has moved into a tie with Mitt Romney atop the field of Republican presidential candidates, according to a new CBS News poll, while Rick Perry has fallen 11 percentage points in just two weeks.

The poll shows Cain, who stood at just five percent support two weeks ago, now holding 17 percent support among Republican primary voters. That puts the former Godfather's Pizza CEO into a tie with Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, whose support has essentially held steady over the past two weeks.

Perry, meanwhile, has dropped from 23 percent support to just 12 percent support over the past two weeks, a sign that the Texas governor's shaky debate performances - in which he has alienated portions of both the Republican base and the party establishment - have taken their toll.

Eight in ten Republican primary voters said the candidates' debate performances are at least somewhat important to them, and 58 percent said they have watched the debates that have already taken place. Just ten percent of Republican primary voters said they agreed with Perry that the children of illegal immigrants should be allowed to get in-state tuition, a contentious topic in recent debates.

The silver lining for Perry is the race remains fluid: Three in four Republican primary voters who chose a candidate also said it was too early to make up their minds completely. Just 19 percent said they had definitively decided who they would support.

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CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto.

Just a few weeks after the implementation of the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," a majority of Americans say they support gays and lesbians serving openly in the military, according to a new CBS News poll.

According to the poll, 68 percent of Americans said they support gay and lesbians' rights to serve openly. Fifty percent said they "strongly" favored the idea.

Moreover, although many national Republicans leaders were against the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," more Republicans surveyed favor the idea of allowing gays and lesbians to serve in the armed forces openly than oppose it.

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CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is not well known to most Americans, including Republican primary voters, a new CBS News survey finds. Christie is considering a late entry into the race for the Republican presidential nomination and is expected to make a decision this week. 

A full 70 percent of voters say they are undecided about Christie or haven't heard enough about him, the poll found. Voters who did have an opinion of Christie were split, with 14 percent holding a favorable view and 15 percent holding an unfavorable view.

Republican primary voters were slightly more likely to hold an opinion about Christie, but even among this group, 63 percent were undecided or haven't heard enough about him. Among those who do hold an opinion, views were positive, with 29 percent saying they have a favorable impression and 9 percent holding an unfavorable view.

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CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto

Americans' perception of Congress remains historically low.

A new CBS News poll finds that just 11 percent of Americans approve of the job being done by Congress. That's down from 12 percent last month and reflects a new low in the CBS News poll, though the 1 percent drop is not statistically significant.

Eighty percent of Americans - four out of five - disapprove of Congress' performance. That includes 78 percent of Republicans, 86 percent of Democrats and 77 percent of independents.

Americans have long held a dim view of Congress, though the numbers have grown increasingly negative this year. In February, 24 percent approved of Congress' performance; by August, that number had fallen to 14 percent, while the disapproval rating rose from 62 percent to 82 percent.

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CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto

Most Americans believe that taxes on millionaires should be increased in order to reduce the deficit, according to a new CBS News poll.

Sixty-four percent of Americans said they believe those making a million dollars or more in taxes should pay more. Thirty percent said taxes on such individuals should not be increased. Democrats were extremely likely to support such an increase (83 percent did so), and independents also supported it, 65 percent to 28 percent. On the other side, 54 percent of Republicans opposed such an increase, while 40 percent supported it.

President Obama has proposed a tax increase on those making a million dollars per year or more as part of his deficit reduction plan - the so-called "Buffett Rule" - an idea Republicans deride as "class warfare."

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CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto

Just one in five Americans think the United States is headed on the right track, while about 73 percent think it is going off track, the lowest percentage of Americans who are happy with the direction of the country since President Obama took office in 2009, according to a new poll from CBS News.

The 19 percent who are satisfied with the direction of the economy is down from 23 percent in September and 13 points lower than the 32 percent who thought it was headed in the right direction a year ago.

A big factor for that may be the economy. Nearly nine of ten Americans think the U.S. economy is in "bad" shape--88 percent, while just one of ten thinks the economy is in "good" shape, the poll found. That compares to 14 percent and 86 percent last month and a 26/74 split in January.

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CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto

After 10 years of war in Afghanistan, nearly two-thirds of Americans want troop levels in the country to be reduced, a new CBS News poll shows.

Sixty-two percent said troop levels should be decreased immediately, according to the poll, conducted Sept. 28 - Oct. 2. Twenty-four percent want troop levels kept the same for now, while 7 percent want them increased. In 2009, as discussions to deploy additional troops to Afghanistan were underway, about a third supported increasing the number of U.S. troops there.

Americans were also asked when they think large numbers of troops should come home. The percentage who want large numbers to return from Afghanistan within a year stands at 38 percent, up from 33 percent in July 2010. Another 24 percent said they'd be willing to have troops there for one to two more years. Ten percent said they'd accept two to five more years, while 18 percent said they'd be willing to have troops there "as long as it takes," down from 26 percent in summer 2010.

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CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto

A new CBS News poll finds that nearly seven in 10 Americans believe President Obama has not made real progress in fixing the economy.

Sixty-nine percent say the president has not made real progress on the economy, which voters overwhelmingly cite as their most important issue. Twenty-five percent say he has made real progress.

Perceptions are not improving. The percentage who said Mr. Obama has made real progress has dropped 10 points from a survey 13 months ago, when 35 percent said he had made real progress.

Just 35 percent of Americans approve of Mr. Obama's handling of the economy, and his approval rating on the issue has been below 40 percent since February. Fifty-three percent approve of his handling of the economy.

Still, most don't blame the administration for the state of the economy. Asked who was most to blame, Americans cited the Bush administration (22 percent), followed by Wall Street (16 percent), Congress (15 percent) and then the Obama administration (12 percent.) One in 10 said "all of the above."

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