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Puerto Rico Election Poll: Federally-Indicted Governor a Distant Second
El Vocero de Puerto Rico (Spanish-language article) ^ | September 16, 2008 | Staff

Posted on 09/16/2008 2:34:45 PM PDT by Ebenezer

(English-language translation)

The most recent [Puerto Rico election] poll by El Vocero and Univisión indicate that 57% of those interviewed favor [Resident Commissioner and] New Progressive Party (PNP) candidate for Governor Luis Fortuño, while 29% would vote to re-elect [incumbent] Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá [with the Popular Democratic Party (PPD)]. Fortuño’s current lead over Acevedo is 28 percentage points.

When comparing to the poll published on May 29, it was observed that the PPD leader shortened by 4 [percentage] points the lead the PNP leader had at the time. Other candidates, and the [number of] undecided [voters], also increased their percentages.

The results of the poll commissioned to the Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Researcher firm concluded that there is a 4% tie between candidates Edwin Irizarry Mora with the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP) and Rogelio Figueroa with Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico (PPR).

The PIP leader increased his support by 1 percentage point in comparison to May’s poll, while the environmentalist [PPR leader’s] rose by 2 points. In the most recent poll, 5% of those interviewed remain undecided over their choice for Governor and another 1% chose “other”.

In May, 3% were undecided and 3% chose “other”.

Resident Commissioner in Washington

The poll determined that the PNP would also win the race for Resident Commissioner in Washington, which is the island’s second most important elective office.

The data reflected that 55% would vote for the PNP’s Pedro Pierluisi, 29% for the PPD’s Alfredo Salazar, 6% for the PIP’s Jessica Martínez Birriel, and 4% for the PPR’s Carlos A. Vázquez López. Five percent were undecided and 1% responded “other”.

Candidates’ Performance

In terms of the performance of the main candidates, the poll showed that 58% disapprove of Acevedo’s performance, 40% approve of it, and 2% answered “other”. Acevedo increased his approval rate by 2 points in comparison to May.

In Fortuño’s case, 60% approve of his performance, 36% disapprove, and 4% answered “other”. These numbers imply that the Resident Commissioner’s approval rating fell by 11 points compared to May, similar to what happened with the question of who [those interviewed] will vote for.

Fifty-four percent of those polled feel closer to the PNP, 31% to the PPD, 4% to the PIP, 3% to the PPR, 6% to no party, and 2% do not know.

If compared to the poll undertaken in May, both the PNP and PPD lost by 1 percentage point the number of people who felt more sympathy for those political organizations.

The PIP increased by 1 percentage point in comparison to May, and the PPR by 2 points. Meanwhile, the number of people who did not feel close to any one party decreased by 2 percentage points, and the rate of those who do not know remained the same.

To the question on how those polled feel about specific persons, 39% responded that they feel very favorable towards Fortuño, 24% towards Acevedo, 11% towards Irizarry, and 13% towards Figueroa.

Sixty-five percent have unfavorable feelings for Irizarry, 59% for the Governor, 40% for the Resident Commissioner, and 59% for Figueroa.

Among poll participants, the level of acceptance for political parties was less than that for the leaders. Thirty-seven percent view the PNP favorably, 29% the PPD, and 8% the PIP. Likewise, 53% view the PPD unfavorably, 41% the PNP, and 79% the PIP.

Ability to Face Problems

When asked who among the candidates would do a better job addressing several of the problems Puerto Rico faces such as the economy, health, [price] increases, jobs and unemployment, corruption, crime, education, and relations with the United States, the answer was the PNP leader.

Fortuño earned results that ranged from 46% to 65% for all problems. His results were less favorable for crime and corruption, while he would work best on relations with the United States, followed by the economy and health.

Acevedo’s results varied between 19% and 25%. He would best address problems with health, the economy, crime, and education, while his less favorable work would involve corruption and relations with the United States.

Irizarry’s and Figueroa’s results fluctuated between 1%-7% and 2%-4%, respectively.

Fortuño’s and Acevedo’s Qualities

Regarding positive qualities, 28% consider Acevedo a strong leader, 18% honest and trustworthy, 9% someone who keeps his promises, and 18% someone who has an interest in people such as those polled. In terms of negatives, 17% consider him corrupt and 23% someone who puts his personal ambitions above Puerto Rico’s interests.

Of Fortuño’s positive qualities, 22% consider him a strong leader, 28% honest and trustworthy, 26% someone who has the necessary experience to govern, and 24% someone who has an interest in people such as those polled. In terms of negatives, 4% consider him corrupt and 22% someone who mainly represents the rich.

Voter Participation

Possible participation in the [2008] elections was measured on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 representing the answer that the person will surely vote on November 4, and 1 that he will not vote.

Seventy-five percent responded with a 10, 81% chose from the scale of 8 to 10, 84% from 6 to 10, and 15% from 1 to 5.

When comparing to May, this implies that the number of people who will surely vote decreased by 1 percentage point.

Seventy-six percent of those polled are eligible voters, 4% ineligible, 19% do not vote, and 1% do not know.

Likewise, 45% of those responding stated that, in the 2004 elections, they voted for Acevedo, 48% for [Pedro] Rosselló González [with the PNP], 3% for Rubén Berríos Martínez [with the PIP], 1% for “other”, and 3% do not know or declined to answer.

The Vocero/Univisión poll picked a sample of 799 adults from each of Puerto Rico’s senatorial districts and administered an 83-question survey between August 20 and September 4. The poll has a 3.5% margin of error.


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: corruptdems; electiongovernor; elections; poll; puertorico
I wonder how many of those who chose "other" as candidate for Governor include followers of Rosselló, for whom a write-in candidacy is being advanced.
1 posted on 09/16/2008 2:34:46 PM PDT by Ebenezer
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To: rrstar96

The PNP and Luis Fortuño is roughly equivalent to the Republican Party, kind of.


2 posted on 09/16/2008 2:57:20 PM PDT by JohnnyZ (This gun for hire)
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To: cll

ping


3 posted on 09/16/2008 5:12:08 PM PDT by Ebenezer (Strength and Honor!)
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To: JohnnyZ; AuH2ORepublican; Impy; Clintonfatigued

Yes, although unfortunately Pedro Pierluisi, the PNP successor to Fortuño, is a Democrat, and not just any Dem, but a HUGE Obamabot. So you have two Democrats running against each other for Resident Commissioner in the general. :-\


4 posted on 09/17/2008 3:09:05 AM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (~"This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps !"~~)
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To: fieldmarshaldj

S*it! I’m guessing the rats reinstated the unconstitutional votes of the non-voting members in the committee of the whole house? So there’s another one. I hope the PPDer wins then, we don’t want Pierluisi to get entrenched.

Fortuno needs to skillfully purge the rats out of positions of power in the PNP. Does he have the impetus or nads to do so?


5 posted on 09/17/2008 3:35:41 AM PDT by Impy (Spellcheck hates Obama, you should too.)
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To: fieldmarshaldj

Answered my own question?

6 posted on 09/17/2008 3:39:49 AM PDT by Impy (Spellcheck hates Obama, you should too.)
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To: fieldmarshaldj; JohnnyZ

Crap as far as I can ascertain Pierluisi was Fortuno’s choice and his 2 primary opponents were also rats. Sigh. If PR is to ever become a state like Fortuno wants there has got to be some GOP leadership there.


7 posted on 09/17/2008 3:51:45 AM PDT by Impy (Spellcheck hates Obama, you should too.)
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To: Impy

Until the last election, the party that won the Governorship also won that of the Resident Commissioner. Usually the latter office holders don’t get “entrenched.” The longest Pierluisi would likely last would be 8 years, presuming Fortuño lasted the same amount, and then he’d probably want to succeed him as Governor (assuming statehood hadn’t occurred by then, in which case he’d run for Senator). I do find it highly disturbing the incestuousness with which there are Republicans and Democrats in the PNP (as far as I know, there is no such situation within the PPD).

Fortuño vs. Pierluisi in DC would presumably vote 180 degrees from the other despite being the equivalent of running mates in this election. Fortuño would become the first GOP-aligned PNP Gubernatorial officeholder since Don Luis Ferré (1969-73). The last two, Pedro Rosselló and Carlos Antonio Romero Barceló, were both mainlander Democrats.

It’s my alarm if PR became a state, that with the abolition of both parties to become Democrats and Republicans, you’d have virtually the entire PPD and half of their opponents in the PNP officially becoming Democrats and a small percent of the PNP becoming Republicans, where we’d be lucky to get maybe 1 or 2 House seats (and probably none of the Senate seats, although Fortuño might be able to win one in the short run).


8 posted on 09/17/2008 4:11:18 AM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (~"This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps !"~~)
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To: fieldmarshaldj
I do find it highly disturbing the incestuousness with which there are Republicans and Democrats in the PNP

It's sickening. How would those good buddies later oppose each other as Republicans and Democrats?

I know nothing about the political geography of PR. Probably safe to assume though that the most heavily PNP areas would then be the most Republican. The PPD is leftist and all rat.

9 posted on 09/17/2008 4:32:45 AM PDT by Impy (Spellcheck hates Obama, you should too.)
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To: Impy

YHM.


10 posted on 09/17/2008 4:35:18 AM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (~"This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps !"~~)
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To: rrstar96; AuH2ORepublican; livius; adorno; wtc911; Willie Green; CGVet58; Clemenza; Narcoleptic; ...
Puerto Rico Ping! Please Freepmail me if you want on or off the list.


11 posted on 09/17/2008 6:15:33 AM PDT by cll (Carthage must be destroyed)
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To: fieldmarshaldj; JohnnyZ; Impy; Clintonfatigued

I’m by no means a fan of Pedro Pierluisi, and consider him just about the most inept candidate I’ve ever seen; in an interview during the Democrat Convention, he expressed his opinion that the indicted Gov. Acevedo-Vilá should not have attended the convention and that he brought shame to the Puerto Rico delegation (so far so good), but then said that, by comparison, Senator Ted Stevens had only had 2 federal charges brought against him instead of the 24 against Acevedo-Vilá, and he hadn’t seen him at the convention, so Stevens knew it would have hurt Alaska. It would have been a valid point were Senator Stevens a Democrat, but I don’t think the absense of a Republican Senator from the Democrat Convention is all that noteworthy. It is beyond me how Fortuño could have chosen someone so ignorant to run for Congress (and, believe me, Pierluisi doesn’t make up for it with charisma or oratorical skills).

That being said, Pedro Pierluisi is by no means a moonbat nor an Obamaphile (he’s actually a moderate-to-conservative Democrat from what I’ve heard, and his older brother is a stauch Republican), and the only reason why he endorsed Obama prior to the Puerto Rico primary (long after Acevedo-Vilá had endorsed him) was because he knew that Obama had the nomination all but sewn up and wanted to make sure that pro-statehood Democrats from PR (most of whom were firmly in the Hillary camp) also had a seat on the table of the Democrat nominee. His decision was no different than that of all of those Blue Dogs that, despite the fact that their districts rejected Obama as soundly as PR rejected Obama (Hillary beat him 68.42% to 31.58%), jumped on the Obama bandwagon so as to be on the good side of the certain Democrat nominee.


12 posted on 09/17/2008 6:56:14 AM PDT by AuH2ORepublican (Fred Thompson appears human-sized because he is actually standing a million miles away.)
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To: JohnnyZ

While for most of the 20th century the pro-statehood party in Puerto Rico was affiliated with the national Republican Party, the current pro-statehood party, the New Progressive Party, is, by design, not affiliated with either national party (its founder, Governor Luis A. Ferré, was the national Republican Party leader in Puerto Rico for over 50 years but knew that statehood could not be achieved by excluding Democrats). In general, the NPP is more conservative (and is certainly more pro-business) than the pro-”Commonwealth” Popular Democratic Party (which has long ties with national Democrats), and NPP gubernatorial candidate Luis Fortuño, currently Puerto Rico’s Resident Commissioner in Congress, is a pro-life Republican (he was a co-sponsor of Duncan Hunter’s bill to use Section 5 of the 14th Amendment to define “person” as any human being from the moment of conception, which would make abortions violations of the Due Process Clause of Section 1 of the 14th Amendment), and has been the Republican National Committeeman from Puerto Rico since before his election to Congress.


13 posted on 09/17/2008 7:05:57 AM PDT by AuH2ORepublican (Fred Thompson appears human-sized because he is actually standing a million miles away.)
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To: AuH2ORepublican
It would have been a valid point were Senator Stevens a Democrat, but I don’t think the absense of a Republican Senator from the Democrat Convention is all that noteworthy.

Maybe the dingbat thinks RINO Stevens is a dem! Very possible!

It is beyond me how Fortuño could have chosen someone so ignorant to run for Congress

Failure of leadership I say. I wish he would have picked a fellow Republican to send to Washington.

Hopefully he'll do better in the future and having a Republican Governor in charge of the PNP will move it to the right.

That being said, Pedro Pierluisi is by no means a moonbat nor an Obamaphile (he’s actually a moderate-to-conservative Democrat from what I’ve heard, and his older brother is a stauch Republican)

Good, maybe he can eventually be turned.

14 posted on 09/17/2008 8:46:15 AM PDT by Impy (Spellcheck hates Obama, you should too.)
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