Pollster.com: FL Senate: Charlie’s Comeback (and how he could be stopped)
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
Roll Call:Republicans Encouraged to Pound Democrats Over Budget
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
John Boehner: Mistake to not pass budget
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.”
To read the full article, turn to
politico.com
Des Moines Register: New Iowa Poll shows GOP majority favors Terry Branstad in governor’s race
Thomas Beaumont recently featured The Winston Group’s David Winston in a piece discussing Iowa’s primary for governor; polls show former governor Terry Brandstad in the lead:
“Branstad is proving that his credentials and an economic focus as a conservative puts together a large majority coalition,” said David Winston, a national Republican pollster. “It’s a good position for him to be in, and positions him well for the general election.”
To read the full article, click on desmoinesregister.com
Movers and Shakers: Kristen Soltis
Politics magazine recently featured the Winston Group’s own Kristen Soltis as one of their “Movers and Shakers,” and asked her several questions about polling, policy and the Tea Party:
Politics: “Tea Party” is a bit of a loaded term on all sides of the debate. Does that make it hard to get an accurate reading?
Soltis: It depends on the question that you ask. Some pollsters ask “Do you support the Tea Party?” I believe there was a question some months ago, “Do you sympathize with the Tea Party?” We tried to ask a question that was pretty strong, so it was either yes or no, not how you feel about it. We wanted to get the most definite group.
To read the entire interview, go to politicsmagazine.com
LA Times: Myth-busting polls: Tea Party members are average Americans, 41% are Democrats, independents
The LA Times features a story on Tea Party members and their makeup, and refers to our Tea Party poll and analysis, along with commentary from The WG’s David Winston:
“It’s a good sample size,” David Winston, polling director of the Winston Group that did the poll for an education advocacy group, told the Ballot Box blog of The Hill newspaper.
The Tea Party adherents broke down 28% independent, 17% Democrat and only 57% Republican. Not coincidentally, this bipartisan breakdown has been the way that Tea Party favorite Sarah Palin has often described movement members as “commonsense Americans” worried and….
…angered by the over-reaching one-party control of Democrats in Washington these last 15 months, rooted initially in opposition to Obama’s $787 billion government economic stimulus package.
Read the full story at latimesblogs.com