Daily Archives: August 22, 2012

Several Stunning Polls

Across the nation, some eye-opening new polls have cast several races in a different light. Except for the Missouri debacle involving Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO-2) and his quest for the US Senate seat, which has blown up on the Republicans over their candidate’s rape-related abortion comments, some other recently released data is decidedly breaking the GOP’s way.

In Florida, Foster McCollum White & Associates, in conjunction with the public affairs firm Douglas Fulmer & Associates, surveyed 1,503 registered Florida voters on Aug. 17 and found not only Mitt Romney leading President Obama by a heretofore unheard of 54-40 percent count, but Rep. Connie Mack IV (R-FL-14), fresh from his strong Aug. 14 Republican primary victory, also jumped out to a 51-43 percent advantage over his opponent, two-term Sen. Bill Nelson (D). Mack has proved to be a stronger than anticipated candidate, thus paving the way for what is becoming a highly competitive campaign. This is the Republicans’ best Florida poll to date.

From an internal campaign survey taken over a month ago (OnMessage; July 16-17; 400 registered Colorado 7th District voters) for candidate Joe Coors Jr. (R) but just released now, the Republican challenger leads veteran Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D) 45-36 percent. No data has shown anything close to this margin so far and the spread here doesn’t fit the district’s normal voting patterns. More data showing a similar trend will have to be released before such a result is confirmed as being accurate. Expect the Perlmutter campaign to shortly counter with a different set of numbers.

In Nevada’s new 4th District, another seat created via reapportionment, Public Opinion Strategies (Aug. 7-9; 400 likely NV-4 voters) polling for the American Action Network, gives GOP nominee Danny Tarkanian a 46-35 percent lead over state House Majority Leader Steven Horsford (D). Like the set of numbers mentioned above in Colorado, these numbers seem to paint a more rosy Republican picture than how the region normally votes. A Democrat candidate should have the advantage in this northern Las Vegas area CD, so more will have to be learned before such a result is fully accepted.

Finally, countering last week’s internal campaign poll from New York GOP nominee Chris Collins, which showed the Republican jumping out to a double-digit lead, Siena College (Aug. 12-14; 628 registered NY-27 voters) finds the former Erie County Executive to be leading freshman Rep. Kathy Hochul (D) 47-45 percent. Since the new 27th CD is the safest Republican seat in New York, it is plausible that the Democrat incumbent would be trailing here. This race is a hotly competitive campaign and a must-win for New York Republicans.

Georgia Run-Off Results

Rick Allen (GA 2nd) | Rick Allen (GA 12th)

The Georgia US House run-offs occurred last night with two campaigns, rather amusingly, featuring a candidate named Rick Allen. In the new 9th District, state Rep. Doug Collins defeated radio talk show host Martha Zoller 55-45 percent in a contest that saw more than 71,000 Republican voters come to the polls.

Both candidates were claiming the conservative mantel and since the primary election yielded a virtual tie between the two candidates, yesterday’s run-off was a battle to determine which candidate could best deliver his or her votes to the polls. The answer clearly is Collins, who will come to Washington as this newly constructed district’s first congressman. The new 9th CD, which is the additional seat awarded Georgia in reapportionment, occupies the northeastern corner of the state and is heavily Republican. Therefore, yesterday’s vote meant much more than winning a nomination. The contest was actually a battle for the seat itself.

The Republican battle in District 12 has yet to be decided. As Rep. John Barrow (D) awaits his eventual opponent for what will be a highly competitive general election in a new district that fails to include the congressman’s home base of Savannah, state Rep. Lee Anderson and businessman Rick W. Allen find themselves separated by only 154 votes from a small total turnout of just over 27,000 individuals. Some votes remain outstanding, so it will likely be later today until we know who has won this nomination although in close contests the candidate leading going into the final ballot counting – in this case Anderson – usually comes out on top. Regardless of who finally becomes the nominee, the 12th District of Georgia will receive a great deal of attention between now and Election Day.

Over in the southwestern 2nd District, businessman and retired Army officer John House easily defeated the second Rick Allen to win the Republican nomination. Mr. House now faces Rep. Sanford Bishop (D) in a new 2nd District that heavily favors the Democratic incumbent. Not even 5,000 voters participated in this run-off.