The weekend beckons....
CA-Sen: Boxer Maintains Solid Edge, Even in Ras Poll
Given that the Rasmussen poll in question had some data that hinted at a GOP skew (the 55% job approval for President Obama, for example), the news on the Senate race has to be considered very good news for Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer. In the new Rasmussen poll, she leads both of her likely Republican challengers (Carly Fiorina and Chuck DeVore) by nearly identical margins. She leads Fiorina by nine (46-37) and leads Devore by a ten-point margin (49-39).
The Race for 2012: Obama Still Leads All Comers, According to PPP
Despite flagging approval numbers with the same pollster (PPP had him under 50% for the first time this week), a new set of numbers on the 2012 elections from PPP (PDF File) shows that President Barack Obama has leads of between 5-8 points over four leading GOP figures. As has been customary as of late, Mike Huckabee (49-44) and Mitt Romney (48-43) keep Obama the closest in terms of margin. Against Sarah Palin (51-43) and Ron Paul (46-38), Obama stretches out his advantage.
National: An Embarrassing Moment For Gallup
It was almost undoubtedly coincidental, but a sequence of events occurring over the past few days has put quite a bit of egg on the face of the most venerable pollster in the game: Gallup. Apparently, Rush Limbaugh decided recently to mix his polling analysis with a little racist speculation:
"Gallup has it [Obama's job approval] just teetering there on the
little teeter-totter at 50%, and they're doing everything they can,
they're upping the sample of black Americans, to keep him at 50% in
the Gallup poll."
This, of course, is an incredibly serious accusation, and it led to a sharp denial from Gallup polling head Frank Newport on Thursday. But what happened on Friday? Gallup's tracking poll broke the barrier and found Obama at 49%. No word on how many seconds into his broadcast it took for Limbaugh to claim the credit and proclaim his infallibility.
IN POLITICAL NEWS....
- NY-23: If you wondering what was going to be the excuse du jour for Doug Hoffman and the teabagger crowd in explaining his defeat to Democrat Bill Owens, wonder no more: the computer virus stole the election this time. Put the virus next to ACORN, labor unions, Democrats, and beer bottles on the shelf of reasons why Doug Hoffman was defeated. Like most allegations from Team Hoffman, this one did not stand up well to scrutiny. Hoffman is still contemplating a challenge to the election this weekend, despite the fact that nearly a dozen 2008 contests wound up closer than his race with Bill Owens.
- MD-01: It is an internal poll, so enjoy it seasoned with a grain (or several) of salt, but Republican Andy Harris is claiming he has a thirteen-point lead over incumbent Democrat Frank Kratovil in Maryland's 1st District.
- THE MONEY CHASE: If the NRCC is going to lead the way to a GOP resurgence in the House, they probably need to get on the stick: the DCCC outraised their GOP counterparts again in October. The NRCC only has about $4 million on hand for the 2010 cycle, far less than the DCCC had in either 2006 or 2008.
- OR-Gov: And then there were two (major candidates, at least) on the Democratic side to be the next Governor of Oregon. Steve Shields, a former executive with Hewlett Packard, packed in his bid to be Governor via a message at his website. This leaves former Governor John Kitzhaber and former Secretary of State (and 2002 Senate nominee) Bill Bradbury as the leading Democratic candidates. Worth noting, though, is that Congressman Peter DeFazio has not yet slammed the door shut on a bid of his own (although he has made little movement, either).
- MN-01: After cruising in 2008 against an outgunned opponent, Democratic sophomore Rep. Tim Walz might have drawn a slightly higher caliber opponent for 2010. Allen Quist, a former state legislator who made a run at popular moderate GOP Governor Arne Carlson from the right in 1994, is seeking a political second act in a bid against Walz.