Polls show Sen. Lugar in trouble in GOP primary

Two polls -- neither one from unbiased sources -- show that Senator Dick Lugar's re-election campaign is in big trouble.

Richard Mourdock has closed within single digits of Sen. Dick Lugar in the Indiana GOP Senate primary race, according to a pair of polls commissioned by groups seeking to oust the six-term incumbent.

Both polls -- one paid for by Citizens United, the other by Rep. Joe Donnelly's campaign -- produced the same result: Lugar ahead by just 6 points, 45 percent to 39 percent.

The Citizens United-Wenzel Strategies survey last week of likely primary voters shared first with POLITICO has 15 percent undecided.

The Global Strategy Group survey for Donnelly highlights Lugar's shrinking margin.

"In October 2011, Lugar lead Mourdock by 12 points, 48 percent to 36 percent," writes pollster Jef Pollock. "Today, that margin is cut in half, 45% to 39%." While the head-to-head data is promising for Mourdock, the internal numbers in the Wenzel poll reveal that the state treasurer has a ways to go in defining himself with just two months left before the primary.

Half of primary voters still aren't able to register an opinion of him, leaving his favorable rating at just 31 percent.

That's 22 points behind Lugar's favorable rating of 53 percent. About a third of primary voters -- 34 percent -- view Lugar unfavorably.

Nonetheless, the race remains fluid with roughly half of voters indicating they are open to changing their mind and Mourdock aides believe it demonstrates that Lugar's $2 million in television ads have failed to stymie his challenger's climb.

C’mon, Indiana... put that dried up POS out to pasture.

I'm trying, man. I'm trying. :o)

I have been called by Lugar's campaign twice. I've done two phone surveys on the subject. I explained it to the Lugar campaign folks this way:

There was a time when Dick represented Hoosiers in a time where Hoosiers were satisfied with our independence from an ever increasingly intrusive federal government. Back then, all he had to do was defend our state from the Federal Government. Today, he has become either out of touch, complacent or complicit in the damage the federal government is doing to Hoosiers. Where was Mr. Lugar when the President dismissed the bond holders rights for Chrystler and GM? Where was Mr. Lugar on Obamacare? Why is he for amnesty for illegals (Comprehensive reform)? To simply say, he was against those is not enough.

I told them Lugar has the politician's disease. He's been there too long. We don't need a goalie any more. We need a conservative activist to aggressively push the federal government out of the lives of Hoosiers. He is not up for that job and has slipped into legislative mediocrity. His opinion and positions can be measured by political winds these days. I want a fresh conservative hawk representing me. I want a Senator that is going to demand fiscal responsibility, speak out against the EPA, Obamacare, Illegal Immigration, deficit spending, etc. I want Indiana to be able to produce more coal and natty gas than any other state in the nation. I want two brand new spanking nuclear power plants in IN. I want Indiana to be exempt from Obama Care (The whole state). I don't want my taxes going to fund planned parenthood, contraception, birth control, North Korea (soon), Egypt, Libya, Etc. I want school vouchers to be funded by the fed.

Finally I asked when Senator Lugar was going to move back to Indiana and meet the current generations of Hoosiers. I offered to e-mail him directions if he forgot how to get here.

“UT is totally HatchRomneyLand.”
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I don’t know about that—the Utah Republican base successfully rebelled in the 2010 caucuses and voted out Bob Bennett (who had served in the Senate since being elected in 1992) in favor of Mike Lee. Mike Lee is a TRUE conservative and Bennett was increasingly CINO.

A coalition of conservative and Tea Party groups (Utah Rising) is attempting to replace the “Inside the Beltway CINO” Hatch in the 2012 cycle—starting at next month’s Republican caucus.

Dan Liljenquist is THE best hope to replace Hatch as the Republican nominee. I hope that all our Utah brothers and sisters support and encourage this effort.

http://www.danforutah.com/

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