Perry Bacon writes in today’s Washington Post about Republicans’ confidence in winning seats in November, and continuing opposition to Democratic initiatives. The Winston Group’s David Winston states that Democrats aren’t focused enough on the most important issues at hand:
Congressional Democrats and the White House “are trying to deal with these other issues when there is only one issue in the room: jobs and the economy,” said David Winston, a Republican pollster.
The Hill features David Winston today in an article outlining the approach Republicans need to take in order to win seats this November. Republicans are trying to separate themselves from Nancy Pelosi and her Democrat followers, but David points out that the GOP needs to do more than just that, by showing the policy plans they will implement after the elections:
“Part of the dynamic here is the way President Obama and congressional Democrats govern ha[s] opened this door wide open for Republicans, but the public at this point isn’t just simply saying, ‘Look at how bad [Democrats] are.’ They want to know what you’re going to do — why should they vote for you?”
The Pew Research Center for The People and The Press recently released the results of a study mapping out voters’ opinions on political ideologies. The study confirms that most voters are center-right in ideology. The study also outlines voters’ views on opposing political parties, as well as insight into what voters believe about the Tea Party.
To read the report and check out Pew’s methodology and toplines, go to pewresearch.org
WaPo released an article over the weekend by Karen Tumulty and Paul Kane, describing different approaches from Republicans on taking back the House. Some strategists are going for an attack plan, but others like David Winston say that a plan needs to be included in the GOP’s message to voters:
“What’s our plan to create jobs and grow the economy?” said GOP pollster David Winston, who is advising the House Republican leadership on the effort. “That’s really what we have to address. We need command focus.”
The Winston Group’s David Winston comments in Monday’s Washington Post on why Wall Street reform is not exactly a hot button issue among voters, particularly those in Virginia’s 11th district, where rep. Gerald E. Connolly and Keith Fimian are fighting for the congressional seat.
” ‘What is this going to do to grow the economy and create jobs?’ ” Winston said voters would ask. “If everybody’s going to point fingers at each other, that’s not what people want to hear.”
This week, Kristen chats with Alex Lundry from Target Point and Kevin Madden from Dyke & Associates about the “Golf or Gulf” website, constituents breaking away from Democrats, Scott Brown’s backing of the financial reform bill, the word “liberal,” and the Apple fans.
Doyle McManus featured David Winston in his July 11th column in the LA Times, writing about how the GOP’s potential success in the House may be a difficult one to reach, since Republicans have yet to settle on a unifying message. David explains why they are currently doing well in terms of public opinion:
Winston argues that the GOP should articulate a specific plan, but he also cautions against putting too much into it.
“One of the reason the door has opened for Republicans is that President Obama has focused on so many other things,” he added. “If you create an 87-point agenda, you’re making the same mistake.”
The St. Petersburg Times released an article on Monday, July 5th concerning how the war in Iraq and Afghanistan has been pushed aside in the agendas of candidates running for office this year. But the Winston Group’s David Winston explains that with the state of the economy at home, the fighting abroad is the lesser of most Americans’ worries:
“It dwarfs everything,” said Republican pollster David Winston. “It’s sort of like looking at a house and there’s all these things that need repair, but if the roof’s on fire, all these things are secondary. Jobs and the economy are the equivalent of the fire on the roof.”
Over the 4th of July weekend, the Wall Street Journal released a story on the recent employment report posted on Friday, July 2nd. Among mixed responses from Democrats and the GOP regarding the report, public opinion appears to sway toward the Republican party’s outlook on the lack of progress Democrats have brought to the table. The story includes comments from The WG’s David Winston:
“People have lost confidence in what the Democrats are doing,” said Republican strategist David Winston. “But that is not enough of a reason to vote for Republicans. Republicans still have to answer the question, ‘Why us?’ “
TRI gets a bit of a change of pace this week with some new segments. Kristen chats with Rachel Hoff from the Foreign Policy Initiative, and The Winston Group’s own Nicki Kurokawa. Topics include this week’s big stories like Kagan’s hearings, Russian Spies, the Kill Switch Bill, and Summer TV, as well as a new section, Blogger Beat.
The Winston Group’s Kristen Soltis writes in Pollster.com today about how Florida Governor Charlie Crist is leading in the polls against Marco Rubio and Kendrick Meek, and why. Soltis also outlines ways in which Rubio may be able to at least pull through in numbers up to the November elections:
Most folks I talk to say that in order for Rubio to have a fighting chance against Crist, he needs to bring down Crist’s favorables. Of course, that strategy might yield a slight bump in standing, but I don’t believe it is nearly enough to win. Voters already assume politicians do what they need to do to get elected. They already assume Crist has made politically motivated moves in this race. And they vote for him anyways. The problem isn’t Crist’s favorables, the problem is Rubio’s neutral brand image among independents. And the way for Rubio, Crist, or Meek (or any candidate in any race, for that matter) to build that brand is to become the leader on the issue of the economy and jobs.
To read Soltis’ entire piece, turn to pollster.com
In Byron York’s latest piece for the Washington Examiner, The WG’s David Winston explains why Obama’s poll numbers look bad for Democrats in this mid-term election year:
Of course, Obama isn’t on the ballot this November. But his ratings contribute to what Winston calls the public’s “overall sense of the ability to govern.” From that perspective, Obama’s troubles are the Democrats’ troubles.
To read more about the poll numbers and Republican response to them, read the full article at washingtonexaminer.com
Roll Call’s Jackie Kucinich reports on Republican leaders’ push for fiscal responsibility and rein in spending. Republican Leader John Boehner referred to a Winston Group poll at their recent meeting that backs their message:
Boehner released new data produced by Republican pollster David Winston. The survey of 1,000 registered voters just before the Memorial Day recess showed that 62 percent believed that by not passing a budget, Congress missed an opportunity to “rein in spending.”
Access the full article (with an account) on rollcall.com
In Wednesday’s Politico, Jake Sherman write about how GOP leaders are forming their message around jobs and the economy – Sherman states that this message comes with support from one of our recent polls:
Republicans are hanging their words partially on a Winston Group poll, which showed that 62 percent of those surveyed believe that Congress’s failure to pass a budget means that it is “missing an opportunity to rein in government spending and provide fiscal discipline that economists say is needed to create jobs and grow the economy.”
David Winston comments on how the healthcare debate continues between the GOP and Democrats, in today’s Washington Post:
“For the election, part of what you want to do is contrast what would happen if you were governing,” said David Winston, a Republican pollster who advises party leaders in Congress. “The Democrats and President Obama spent months talking about health care, and Republicans say they should have spent that time working on jobs.”
