Posted on 09/11/2006 3:42:21 PM PDT by okstate
After garnering support levels in the high 50s for the last several months, Democratic Senator Robert Byrd has pierced the 60% threshold in our polling to now lead Republican John Raese 63% to 30%.
That adds eight points to the spread. Our August survey showed the Senator over-flying his Republican opponent 56% to 31%, a mere twenty-five-point advantage.
Byrd, the longest-serving member of the U.S. Senate, is known for his oratory, unabashed vigor in bringing pork projects to his state, and opposition to the war in Iraq. Should he win, he will be 89 as he begins his new term.
A West Virginia paper noted in a recent editorial that the Republican challenger is still being sighted on the campaign trail, implying that Raese's efforts to replace Byrd, albeit foundering, are not yet dead.
Senator Byrd is viewed favorably by 74%, "very favorably" by 47%. Reese is viewed favorably by 42%, "very favorably" by only 12%; 23% view him "very unfavorably."
Another popular Democrat in the state is Governor Joe Manchin; his job performance wins 79% overall approval, 41% strong approval. The latter figure is close to the proportion, 42%, who "strongly disapprove" of the performance of President Bush.
The frequent discrepancy in how Republican voters and Democratic voters view the ideology of their candidates is quite marked in Byrd's case. Fifty-six percent (56%) of Republicans see the Senator as politically liberal, 21% as moderate. By contrast, 46% of Democrats see him as moderate, only 18% as liberal. And an even greater number of Democrats, 28%, see him as conservative.
Raese is seen as conservative by a plurality of each of these groups, and by 55% of liberals.
Have you ever done a search for all the roads, buildings and bridges that have the name "Robert Byrd" on them? It is sickening.
Term limits.
I must remember to detour around West Virginia - I don't wanna catch whatever it is they have. And 60% sounds like an epidemic.
How is Kim Wolfe polling against that Hizbollah-loving towelhead terrorist Nick Rahall?
Will the "white n*****s" vote for this old Klansman?
His campaign doesn't even need to bother with signs. Every damn thing in WVA is named after him.
How do they know that? Carbon dating?
I guess people vote for the best whore at getting bacon, and Byrd is a vibrating, bacon smooching whore.
Robert C. Byrd Academic and Technology Center
Robert C. Byrd addition to the lodge at Oglebay Park, Wheeling
Byrd Aerospace Technology Center
Robert C. Byrd Bridge between Huntington and Chesapeake, Ohio
Robert C. Byrd Cancer Research Center
Robert C. Byrd Clinical Addition to the veteran's hospital in Huntington
Robert C. Byrd Community Center, Pine Grove
Robert C. Byrd Community Center in the naval station, Sugar Grove
Robert C. Byrd Drive, from Beckley to Sophia (Byrd's hometown)
Robert C. Byrd Expressway, U.S. 22 near Weirton
Robert C. Byrd Federal Building
Robert C. Byrd Federal Courthouse
Robert C. Byrd Freeway
Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope
Robert C. Byrd Hardwood Technologies Center, near Princeton
Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center of West Virginia
Robert C. Byrd High school in Bridgeport
Robert C. Byrd Highway
Robert C. Byrd Hilltop Office Complex, Mineral County
Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarships
Robert C. Byrd Industrial Park, Hardy County
Robert C. Byrd Institute in Charleston
Robert C. Byrd Institute for Advanced Flexible Manufacturing
Robert C. Byrd Library and Robert C. Byrd Learning Resource Center
Robert C. Byrd Life Long Learning Center
Robert C. Byrd Locks and Dam
Robert C. Byrd National Technology Transfer Center
Robert C. Byrd Rural Health Center
Robert C. Byrd Scholastic Recognition Award
Byrd Science Center, Shepherd University
Robert C. Byrd Technology Center at Alderson-Broaddus College
Robert C. Byrd United Technical Center
Robert C. Byrd Visitor Center at Harpers Ferry National Historic Park
Here we go, electing another senile idiot Senator.
Vox Populi, or Vox Feces?
Just goes to show what happens when cousins marry....
I still don't get it. I don't care how much pork my two idiot senators brought home, Feinstein and Boxer, I'd die before I'd vote for either of those two abominations. They could put all that pork money in my pocket and I still wouldn't vote for them. But I guess some people put their narrow parochial interests ahead of the good of their nation.
In any event, does Byrd even have the ability being in the minority now and not even the ranking member on the Appropriations Committee to still be directing all that pork back to West Virginia? I can't imagine he has much check writing capability in that regard anymore. If it was pork I wanted, I would think I'd be more likely to get it from a member of the majority party, which the GOP is still likely to be after these fall elections.
Absolutely the Hill Apes are Whores. It's a shame I have spent much time in the state and like the people very much, but when you vote for someone who gives you things, you are a whore.
Maybe West Va really DO like the KKK....at least all the Dems seem to.
I hope WV gets a Republican Governor soon. It will probably be very beneficial.
I live in California too...I think the difference is that W. Virginia would probably get nothing if it were not for pork producing Senators.
California will be fine on it's own. People of that state and other states like it believe they will be left in the cold if it weren't for someone bringing home the pork.
I don't like it and most others don't either, unless it means money and jobs for your state.
Just trying to make me ill?
Sorry.....it made me ill to see it too.
It's only been recent times (since '00) that WV has voted R in Presidential elections. Prior to that, only in 1984 and 1972 (which were unusually good R years) that they did. After Byrd retires you may see the seat flip -- but in many places you see an incumbency advantage where ideologically it shouldn't exist.
Before anyone corrects me I wasn't referring to any time in history that WV voted R was in 1972, 1984, 2000, and 2004 -- I meant ever since I've been following politics...which started around 1972...
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