Posted on 08/15/2002 11:58:22 AM PDT by Brookhaven
LAWRENCEVILLE — A new poll of 7th Congressional District voters shows a virtual dead heat in the race between incumbent Republicans Bob Barr and John Linder.
According to a survey commissioned by the Gwinnett Daily Post and conducted this week involving 400 likely Republican primary voters, Barr has a slight lead over Linder, but not enough to push him over a 5 percent margin of error.
Results from across the entire district show voters back Barr by 45 percent over Linder with 42 percent. Undecided respondents account for 13 percent.
J. Bradford Coker, managing director of Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. in Washington D.C., said his company’s poll indicates there is no clear winner set to take the Republican primary vote on Tuesday.
“To call this race either way would be silly based on the numbers,” Coker said.
Barr leads Linder in the 7th District counties of Cherokee, Forsyth, Bartow and Paulding by more than the margin of error, according to the poll. Linder bested Barr in Gwinnett by scoring 25 percent higher.
The survey polled 209 residents in Gwinnett, 89 in Cherokee, 33 in Forsyth, 24 in Bartow and 45 in Paulding, based on the percentage of 7th District constituents in each county.
Coker said undecided voters and no turnout history in a newly redistricted area contribute to the uncertainty of who will win. Coker said Linder’s performance in Gwinnett will be the key to his hopes for victory.
“Gwinnett is going to make or break (Linder). He needs to get the majority of the undecided votes there in Gwinnett,” Coker said.
Male voters sided with Barr by 53 percent; Linder received the female vote with 48 percent. Respondents who said they support the Christian Coalition sided with Barr by 56 percent.
Voters said the candidates’ stand on specific issues, personal character and values as well as general political ideology are the top three areas they will consider in deciding whether to support Barr or Linder.
Linder campaign manager Bo Harmon said the Mason-Dixon survey does not match any polling numbers he has seen.
For example, Harmon said an internal poll of 300 people conducted this week shows Linder with 47 percent to Barr’s 34 percent district wide. Harmon said this poll carried a 6 percent margin of error.
“Our focus now is getting our voters to the polls,” Harmon said.
Congressman Barr took the polling data as a “welcome boost.” Barr said “momentum is clearly moving our way, and we are going to keep moving forward right up until Aug. 20.”
The Marietta Daily Journal and the Chattanooga Times Free Press partnered with the Post in sponsoring the Mason-Dixon poll.
And will the libertarian right who are against Barr's
troglodyte drugwarrior ways be enough to tip the
balance to Linder?
One can only hope ...
This area has a strong Libertian party (due, IMHO, to Neil Boortz being the major talk radio person in the area.) Libertarian candidates usually draw 4-6% of the vote. A pretty big percentage for a 3rd party.
Not only is Barr at odds with Libertarians over the drug war, but Linder is the major proponent in the house of ending the income tax, a favorite of Libertarians.
I wonder if this poll took that into account.
Barr is a hopelessly off his rocker drug warrior. He needs to be replaced.
True.
He needs to be replaced.
Ah, here we disagree. Two reasons for me, at least. First, he is an impeachment hero. For that, he can do a lot wrong and still have my support, not to mention I get cramps thinking of the happiness the Clintons will experience if another impeachment hero goes down.
Second, for me personally, the WOD is not a single issue for me that determines my choice. I realize that it is for some.
It should not be for the LP, though, whose broader message should be the legitimate functions of government. By focusing on just this one issue, I think it makes itself less relevent and demonstrates its desperate situation...and I say this as a long time sometimes contributor and voter.
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