In the race to succeed retiring Senator Tom Harkin (D. IA), Congressman Bruce Braley (D. IA-01) continues to lead all of his GOP opponents:
http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/...
PPP's newest Iowa poll finds that Republican recruiting failures in the US Senate race have given Bruce Braley a substantial early advantage. He leads by margins ranging from 9 to 13 points against the potential GOP candidates. It's 43/34 over Matt Whitaker, 45/33 over Joni Ernst, 44/32 over Mark Jacobs, 43/31 over Sam Clovis, and 45/32 over David Young.
Part of the reason for Braley's early leads is that he's a solid candidate. He has a +10 net favorability rating with 34% of voters rating him positively to 24% with a negative opinion. It also has a lot to do with the Republican candidates being so unknown at this point though. Whitaker is the best known but still has only 23% name recognition and from there it's 20% for Ernst, 19% for Clovis, 18% for Young, and 16% for Jacobs.
Because the Republicans are so little known, most of the undecideds in these match ups are Republicans and that gives their potential candidates more room to grow. But Braley leads with independents in every match up and that makes him the early favorite. - PPP, 7/10/13
PPP surveyed 668 registered voters between July 5-7, 2013. The poll also shows Governor Terry Branstad (R. IA) with closely divided approval numbers (45/46) but still leading all Democratic opponents by double digits except former Governor Chet Culver (D), who trails Branstad 47/42. The poll only adds to more good news for Braley who also had a very successful fundraising quarter:
http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/...
Democrat Bruce Braley has an impressive $2 million in cash on hand for his campaign for U.S. Senate, an aide told The Des Moines Register on Monday.
Braley will announce today that he raised $1.25 million in the second quarter, from April 1 to June 30, senior adviser Jeff Link said.
More than 2,800 Iowans, including people from all 99 counties, have chipped in to try to ensure that Braley takes the Democratic seat that retiring U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin will give up next year.
The deadline for filing the July quarterly report to the Federal Election Commission isn’t until July 15, but campaigns whose numbers are particularly strong often release them early.
Democrats endorsing Braley include Harkin, former Gov. Chet Culver, U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack, former U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell, Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, Iowa Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald, 71 Democratic Iowa legislators and 18 Iowa labor organizations. - Des Moines Register, 7/2/13
Some other notes about PPP's poll. President Obama and Senator Chuck Grassley (R. IA) have both taken a hit in their approval numbers. Obama's approvals are at 46/50 and Grassley's crossover appeal with Democrats has been declining, 47/38. Senator Harkin's approval numbers are 49/39. 47% of Iowans think same sex marriage should be legal and an overwhelming number of Iowa voters support expanded background checks for gun purchases, 75/18. There's high approval numbers for background checks from Democrats, Republicans and Independents. Tea Party Congressman Steve King (R. IA) posts the lowest approval numbers, 29/44. If you would like to donate or get involved with Braley's campaign, you can do so here:
http://www.brucebraley.com/...