by Ann Driscoll
Fantastic news today for the Wulsin for Congress campaign! (and very bad news for Jean Schmidt). A poll was just released showing Vic Wulsin tied with Schmidt.
The poll, conducted this past weekend by the Washington, D.C. firm Momentum Analysis, shows that, if the election were held today, 44% of respondents would vote for Wulsin, 44% would vote for Schmidt, and 11% were undecided. Wulsin leads 50% to 37% in Hamilton County, the largest county in the district.
Schmidt's approval ratings are even lower than President Bush's in the district (currently at 41%). A mere 33% of likely voters in her district approve of the job Schmidt is doing and 53% disapprove.
The poll also shows Wulsin's strong support among independents. She leads Schmidt 52% to 36% among independents throughout the district.
After squeaking by on a 3.5% margin of victory in last summer's special election, Schmidt is again vulnerable this election cycle. Despite the Republican voter registration advantage in the district, Schmidt's extremely low personal approval ratings are severely damaging her chances at re-election.
As the blogosphere knows all too well, Schmidt gained infamy last year when she stood on the floor of the U.S. House and attacked Congressman John Murtha- a 74-year old Marine who earned two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star in Korea and Vietnam - calling him a coward. The episode was only 75 days into her tenure. In her first speech in Congress, she had said "I pledge to walk in the shoes of my colleagues and refrain from name-calling or the questioning of character."
UPDATE #1 Check out this DailyKos story.
UPDATE #2 Based on popular request, here is some general information about the race.
Vic is running to replace Jean Schmidt, the incumbent Republican in Ohio's 2nd congressional district. Schmidt narrowly beat Iraq War Veteran Paul Hackett last summer during a special election that attracted national press attention. Only 75 days into her first term, Schmidt's comments on the House about Murtha attracted national attention, including an SNL skit featuring Rachel Dratch as Jean Schmidt.
Vic Wulsin, meanwhile, is a healthcare professional and lifelong Ohio native. She has a B.A. and PhD from Harvard and an M.D. from Case Western Reserve University. She was Cincinnati's city epidemiologist in the early 90's and has since devoted her career to stopping the AIDS crisis in Africa and Asia.
For more information, I refer you to Vic's bio and an especially informative Wikipedia article on Jean Schmidt.
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