After a long and arduous process, the Democratic Party finally has a presidential nominee, and this will no doubt capture the attention of the nation.

But it's probably worth keeping in mind that the Dems have reason to be excited about congressional races, too.

Democratic pollsters released what they characterized as a “dramatic” survey showing the possibility of a Democratic wave in Republican congressional districts this fall.

The poll of 1600 voters in 45 Republican congressional districts showed on average a 33% approval rating for President Bush, a 38% approval rating for the incumbent Republican and a strong desire for change.

In the 45 Republican districts the poll found 55% of people said they wanted to vote for a Democrat for Congress, compared to 49% in January. Just 37% of respondents said they would vote for their Republican incumbents, who were named.

“What’s stunning about this is not just that the race has moved over the last three months,” said Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg. “There’s no reason to believe this won’t continue to move.” He is a founder of Democracy Corps, a non-profit that conducted the poll.

A wave started rolling in 2006 ... and it's not done yet.