Posted on 08/05/2009 10:16:21 AM PDT by stan_sipple
Stunning figures in a new Gallup Poll paint Nebraska as a competitive political battleground in which Democrats might even hold a tiny edge.
Democratic State Chairman Vic Covalt of Lincoln hailed the numbers Tuesday and said they'll help him recruit a strong candidate to challenge Gov. Dave Heineman next year.
Republican Chairman Mark Fahleson of Lincoln dismissed the results as "a post-election euphoric snapshot" that would not hold up today.
The survey of 1,035 Nebraskans during the first six months of 2009 showed 43 percent favoring Democrats and 42 percent favoring Republicans.
That prompted Gallup to move Nebraska from a "lean Republican" state in 2008 to a "competitive" state.
The results suggested a dramatic turnaround from 2008 election results in Nebraska and run counter to a heavy Republican voter registration advantage over Democrats.
Reading between the lines, Gallup's figures reflect a strong tilt toward Democrats by Nebraska's registered independents.
Although registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by 165,000 in Nebraska, Democrats and registered independents together surpass the number of Republicans in the state.
Despite the narrow Democratic advantage in the Gallup results, Nebraska still tied with North Dakota as the seventh strongest Republican state in the survey.
Fahleson pointed to the daily Rasmussen Reports tracking poll to demonstrate that President Barack Obama's approval rating has been steadily sagging since June.
The latest survey showed 50 percent approval and 48 percent disapproval.
Obama's job approval rating in Gallup's daily national survey stood at 56 percent on Tuesday compared with 38 percent disapproval.
But his approval rating had slipped from 62 percent in June.
"I'm quite confident if the (Nebraska) poll was taken today, it would show different numbers," Fahleson said.
"If this is evidence of a resurgence of the Nebraska Democratic Party, where are their candidates?" he asked.
"No challengers to the governor. No candidates for the other constitutional offices."
Covalt said he's zeroing in on several Democratic gubernatorial prospects now.
"Governor Heineman is very, very beatable," he said.
"The governor is a great politician, but he's a bad governor."
Democrats will challenge Heineman's record on caring for "the weak and vulnerable developmentally disabled population," Covalt said, as well as road construction and management of state government.
Gallup's figures reflect "a rapidly changing political landscape" in Nebraska, Covalt said.
"I like these numbers," he said.
As my daughter told me, when she was two years old, “This is “iscusting””.
I guess it’s true about never being able to go home again. I may have to adopt Texas as my birth state now.
This is pie in the sky for the rats, so they’d better enjoy this particular delusion. NE isn’t going blue anytime soon.
What kind of RAT "logic" is this? It makes as much sense to point out that registered Republicans and independents together dwarf RATS.
I’ve seen zero evidence of this. Republicans swept in 2008, including winning an open senate seat with ease. Obama was blown out.
Gallup also listed Oklahoma & Texas as “Democrat states” too.
Gallup leans left. I don’t believe anything they state.
“Ive seen zero evidence of this.”
I am relieved. When Clinton was in his last month in office, he decided to visit Nebraska. He’d not visited in either of his two terms. I recall that a western Nebraska paper quoted one of their readers as asking, “Who invited him?”.
Sums it up pretty well in Nebraska.
Took the words right out of my keyboard!!
When the RATS remove the 10 percent tax on first 8350 of taxable income and move it back in the 15 percent bracket, it’s a tax increase on everybody, not just the rich. Let em rave for 0’b then.
Aliens?
There’s a move afoot to ship in dems in low population states to flip them.
In Nebraska, no less... who “woulda thunk”...
refugees in habitat for humanity housing help a lot (sarc)
that this story is Journal Star don Walton BS shows, RAT leader Vic Covalt said he’s really enthusiastic about finding an opponent for Heineman. Wait the election is in a year and they dont have one yet. Yeah thats the ticket (sarc)
This article tells me if I shove a piece of gravel up my butt, it’ll turn into diamond.
Jim Suttle, the new Democrat mayor of Omaha, is making the case for everyone here not to vote for Democrats. If the Rats are going to flip Nebraska it has to be through Omaha. Currently, it’s looking like Suttle’s incompetence and corruption will ensure that Nebraska will hate the Democrats during the next election cycle.
the RATS should worry about the continued ability of Sen Goodhair Nelson to BS the folks back home all the while voting for hate crimes laws, racist SCOTUS nominees and socialized medicine
Is that what Suttle’s aide was getting done?
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