The final New York Times/CBS News poll before next Tuesday's midterm elections showed a significant majority of Americans expect Democrats to reduce or end US military involvement in Iraq if they win control of Congress.
By contrast, they believe President George W. Bush's Republicans would maintain or increase troop levels to try to win the war if they maintain power.
Only 29 percent of US voters in the survey approved of the way Bush is managing the war.
Nearly 70 percent said the president did not have a plan to end the war, and 80 percent said his latest effort to rally public support amounted only to a change in rhetoric, not policy.
But, in the wake of an embarrassing gaffe by former Democratic presidential candidate Senator John Kerry, party leaders cautioned against over-optimism ahead of the November 7 midterm elections.
The poll was taken before the White House jumped aggressively on Kerry's botched joke that made it sound like he was criticizing US troops in Iraq.
Fearing the gaffe could turn voters away, other Democrats distanced themselves from Kerry and pushed him to apologize.
Democrats distance themselves from 'joke'
Mr Kerry has withdrawn from campaigning for Democratic candidates, to contain damage from his remarks on Monday that Americans who neglect their education would "get stuck in Iraq."
His decision came after several members of his own party began to distance themselves from him.
"What Senator Kerry said was inappropriate," said fellow Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton, adding that Americans "cannot let it divert us" from more important issues.
"We do need a new policy in Iraq. I and others have been advocating that for quite some time. We do need to get our fiscal house back in order. We do need to deal with the serious problems affecting our country, and that's what I hope this election's about," Ms Clinton said.
Democrats on the stump also criticised Senator Kerry, including Nebraska House candidate Scott Kleeb who called the senator's remark "an example of politics at its worst."
Iowa Democratic House candidate Bruce Braley also asked Mr Kerry not to appear with him on Thursday at a rally as planned, according to press reports.
And Democratic candidate Harold Ford, running for Tennessee's vacant Senate seat, also called on Kerry to apologise to US troops in Iraq.
But Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean defended Mr Kerry's remarks as harmless "bloopers," according to media reports.
"Kerry made a blooper. Bloopers happen," Dean told reporters Wednesday.
Republican leaders meanwhile -- including US President George W. Bush -- seized upon the contretemps as proof of their long-held assertion that
Democrats are inept and insensitive on military and security matters, including the key issue of the way forward in Iraq.
On Wednesday, President Bush defended the decision by Republicans to hammer away about Kerry's remarks.
"Anybody who is in a position to serve this country ought to understand the consequences of words, and our troops deserve the full support of people in government," he told US radio.
"We've got incredible people in our military, and they deserve full praise and full support of this government," said Mr Bush, adding that the approach is typical of the opposition party.