It's good to be back....
NJ-Gov: New G.Q.R. Poll Has Corzine Within MoE On Christie
We get new numbers today from Democracy Corps (pollsters: Greenberg, Quinlan, Rosner) which shows a narrowing race in the Garden State. Including Independent candidate Chris Daggett, we get Republican Chris Christie staked to a five-point lead (40-35-10). Interestingly, the numbers don't diverge a great deal in a heads-up duel: with just the two major-party candidates in the mix, Christie's lead edged out to just six points (43-37). Democracy Corps, it is worth noting, is a partisan outfit. It is equally worth noting, however, that their numbers have historically been more devoid of bias than some nominally independent pollsters.
PA-Sen: Rasmussen Claims Toomey Lead, But Is Sestak More Competitive?
Speaking of nominally independent pollsters with consistently partisan numbers, we have something new from Rasmussen. They claim that hard-right Republican Pat Toomey leads either Democratic candidate in Pennsylvania. Intriguing, however, is that theirs is the first poll which seems to imply that Joe Sestak will be more competitive in a general election bid than Arlen Specter. Rasmussen has Sestak trailing by eight (43-35) and Specter down sixteen (48-32) to the former Congressman and Club for Growth poster boy.
NATIONAL: Bizarre Juxtaposition in YouGov/Economist Internet Poll
Normally, because of their often dubious results, this wrap-up does not include polls culled from the internet (best example for this moratorium--the notorious Zogby Interactive polls). This new set of data from YouGov/The Economist is included today for one reason--it has an incredible dichotomy on the state of public opinion of the U.S. Congress. This survey had the approval for Congress at 19%. Yet, on the generic ballot question for 2010, the Democrats maintain a double-digit lead (46-36) over the GOP. If valid, this underscores how woeful the status of the GOP is at present, no matter the level of frustration voters may have with the progress on Capitol Hill.
CA-10: SurveyUSA Offers First Public Poll in Special Election
We get our first public numbers in the special election due in two weeks in California's 10th District, courtesy of SUSA. They have John Garamendi leading with 26%, with Republican David Harmer trailing with 18%, followed by a trio of Democrats: Mark DeSaulnier (15%), Joan Buchanan (12%), and Anthony Woods (5%). One of the beauties of SUSA polling is that they really open up the hood and let you look at a lot of demographic data. This does lead to some chin-scratching, though: does anyone think that GOPer David Harmer is getting a higher percentage of the African-American vote than African-American Democrat Anthony Woods, small sample size be damned?
NV-Sen: Republicans Still Hunting For a Reid Slayer for 2010
For all of the talk about Harry Reid's vulnerabilities for re-election in 2010 (much of it of some merit), the Nevada Republican Party is still at a loss to find a first-tier candidate, according to the Reno Gazzette Journal. One name getting some run: state GOP chairwoman Sue Lowden. Some of her supporters even commissioned a fairly dubious poll showing her with a six-point lead over Harry Reid. This scramble comes on the heels of the long-suspected decision by northern Nevada Congressman Dean Heller not to challenger Reid in 2010.
IA-Gov: GOP Going Back To The Future For Culver Opponent?
Iowa Republicans may be pining for a generation past in order to find a first-tier opponent for freshman Governor Chet Culver. Terry Branstad, a Republican who served four terms as the Hawkeye State's governor from 1983-1999, is apparently considering a political second act, and he will make a final decision in the Fall.
NY-13: McMahon Fears A Paterson Albatross In 2010
Freshman Congressman Michael McMahon, who became the first Democrat to represent Staten Island in decades last year, is apparently a bit apprehensive about incumbent Democratic Governor David Paterson leading his party's ticket in 2010. A first-tier challenger still eludes the GOP in this district, however the Brooklyn Eagle implies that the GOP has one waiting in the wings. What's more, they even imply the possible candidate--none other than former Congressman Vito Fossella, driven from office amid scandal in 2008.