Arizona Poll results: real and a bizarre push poll
Two things: A quick recap on polling from Cronkite-Eight polling on Arizona races and ballot initiatives and a new push poll story that is both sad and laughable.
First the bad news: In a poll of 846 registered voters, Peterson trails Kyl by 10 points (46%-36%, 18% Undecided).
Peterson has been unsuccessful in getting any real movement in the numbers:
http://www.kaet.asu.edu/...
According to poll director Dr. Bruce Merrill, "Kyl is maintaining his lead over Pederson by winning the party crossover battle and by attracting socially conservative voters to his campaign. In the `crossover' battle, 22 percent of all registered Democrats are supporting Kyl while only 11 percent of the Republicans are defecting to Pederson. Because there are more Republicans than Democrats in Arizona , Pederson must strengthen his appeal to traditional Democratic voters and attract a majority of independents to his campaign in order to win. It is important to note, however, that almost one-in-five voters (18 percent) still are unsure about how they will vote, so Kyl does not have the campaign sewn up at this time."
The good news is current governor Janet Napolitano is crushing each of the four potential Republican nominees Don Goldwater, Len Munsil, Mike Harris, and Gary Tupper) by at least 35 points in individual matchups. In other good news, a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriages and that would also deny benefits in government jobs to unmarried partners would fail: 51% oppose the ban, 38% are for it, with 11% undecided.
Okay, now for the bizarre push polling story. In the governor's race, social conservative Republican Len Munsil, a past proponent of abstinence programs, felt compelled to release a statement that they conceived their eldest child out of wedlock 20 years ago.
http://www.azcentral.com/...
Len Munsil and his wife, Tracy, released a statement to reporters regarding circumstances of their oldest son's conception in reaction to a question included in a "push poll" which two Republican campaigns said was conducted Friday by an unknown person or organization. [Munsil was the] head of the Center for Arizona Policy, a Scottsdale-based group that advocates on public policy issues on behalf of Christian social conservatives.
Circumstantial evidence is pointing at Don Goldwater's campaign although there is no proof yet and the Goldwater campaign denies it:
Don Goldwater, said he was concerned that his campaign might erroneously be linked to the push poll because it reportedly included a question favorable to Goldwater. "We have absolutely no connection with this. This is nothing we would do," Goldwater said.
Don Goldwater, for those who don't know, is the guy suggesting labor camps for illegal aliens on the border to build a wall.
http://www.dailykos.com/...
It's funny watching Republicans push polling each other. The sad part is thinking that there might be political "strategists" who think people would change their vote for someone because he had premarital sex with his wife 20 years ago (how shocking!). The intrusiveness is also sad when kids are involved. I know some might say "Republican hypocrite" but really 20 years ago premarital sex - Jesus, who cares. Well, maybe some Republican political operative cares - or thinks some Republican voters might care. Sad, funny, no sad, no funny, no...