A new poll shows that independent voters in the United States favor Democrats two-to-one over Republicans, with legislative elections just two weeks away.

The results released Tuesday by The Washington Post and ABC News show independent voters will play a pivotal role in next month's elections, in which Republicans will try to retain control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.  Independent voters are not members of either the Democratic or the Republican parties.

A total of 59 percent of independents surveyed said they plan to support Democratic candidates on November 7.  Only 31 percent said they would support Republicans.

Only one-third of independents said the war in Iraq is worth fighting, down from about one-half two years ago.

The poll of 1,200 voters was taken Thursday through Sunday.

Americans as a whole cite the war in Iraq as the most important issue in the elections, followed by the economy and terrorism.  By more than two-to-one, respondents said they disapprove of the way Congress does its job.  President Bush's approval rating was at 37 percent, down from 39 percent two weeks ago.

President Bush said last week the Republican Party will continue to control Congress.  He said Republicans are doing a far better job of protecting the American people than Democrats ever could.

Despite the growing influence of third-party and independent voters, the U.S. political system is still controlled by the Democratic and Republican parties.