Posted on 10/11/2006 5:42:55 PM PDT by okstate
October 11, 2006 - Nelson Leads Harris 61 - 33 In Florida Senate Race, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Voters Say U.S. Is Losing The War In Iraq
In the Florida Senate race, Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson has a commanding 61 - 33 percent lead over U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris among likely voters, including leaners, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Six percent are undecided and 18 percent of likely voters who name a candidate say they could change their mind in the next four weeks.
Sen. Nelson leads Rep. Harris 56 - 31 percent among registered voters, with 11 percent undecided. This compares to a 61 - 24 percent Nelson lead in a July 27 poll by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University.
In this latest survey, Republican likely voters back Harris 67 - 27 percent, while Democrats back Nelson 85 - 10 percent and independent voters back Nelson 65 - 26 percent.
"Congresswoman Harris has made some progress in her race against Sen. Nelson, but with four weeks until the election, it isn't nearly enough to make her a serious threat to the incumbent," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
"Floridians, by almost a two-to-one margin, still view her unfavorably - an indication of just how difficult a task she faces. In order to win, she'll have to convince Floridians she is not who they think she is."
Only 20 percent of Florida voters have a favorable opinion of Harris, with 37 percent unfavorable, 16 percent mixed and 26 percent who haven't heard enough to form an opinion.
Nelson gets a 31 - 12 percent favorability, with 19 percent mixed and 38 percent who haven't heard enough to form an opinion.
"For a politician who has held statewide office for more than a decade, Sen. Nelson's profile is surprisingly fuzzy. Four in 10 voters say they need to know more about him before they can decide if they view him favorably or unfavorably," Brown said.
"But it doesn't matter because Congresswoman Harris is so weak. She is losing a quarter of the Republican vote and more than 60 percent of the independent vote and getting only half of the white evangelical vote - a recipe for electoral disaster for a Republican in Florida."
Bush Approval
Florida voters disapprove 59 - 37 percent of the job President George W. Bush is doing. Voters say 55 - 28 percent that the U.S. is losing the war in Iraq, and 44 - 39 percent that the U.S. is losing the war on worldwide terrorism.
From October 3 - 8, Quinnipiac University surveyed 968 Florida registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 3.2 percentage points. The survey includes 783 likely voters, with a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points. The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in Florida, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Ohio and the nation as a public service and for research.
More like advising conservative voters on how to actually win elections rather than idiotically throwing them away.
I have not seen one ad for Harris yet, in fact, I don't think I have seen any for Nelson either. Lots of Crist ads, but none for Davis. Not sure whats going on with that. I'll be voting for Harris but she needs to put some ads out there. I guess in the next few weeks.
I like and respect her. I'd vote for her if I could...
I never said all the polls were wrong; of course Nelson is going to lead the polls. He's the incumbent and the FL media hates Harris' guts. The real poll, however, matters on election day. Harris' has her base of supporters, she's well known in FL with a solid record of accomplishment. Nelson is in bed with the moonbats.
Who would you support?
Here were the three other choices for Senate besides Harris:
(1) 72 year old former Democrat who promised to only serve one term
(2) 62 year old life-long bureaucrat with the same-old big gov't ideas
(3) 33 year old trial lawyer in bed with the illegal alien lobby
I'll throw my vote away to the hot Momma who looks good on the horse with a solid conservative record anyday.
Let me put this into perspective...
Let's say the Democrats decided to run Cynthia McKinney for Senate in Georgia sometime - FR would crash from all the people signing on to laugh at the Democrats for doing something so obviously stupid.
I'm not equating McKinney and Harris PERSONALLY but to be perfectly blunt, to swing and undecided voters in either Georgia or Florida both of them likely would be perceived just as negatively. That's just reality. She's no hero to ANYONE except the Republican hardcore - everybody else either actively hates Harris or simply found the whole 2000 election controversy so distasteful they don't even want to be reminded of it.
The passion for Harris isn't from logic or strategy, it's simply from fantasy - people just like the in-your-face slam dunk fantasy of someone the Democrats hate so much making the Senate (much as some rabid looney-toon on DU might fantasize about how upset it would make Republicans if McKinney were elected to the Senate.)
I'm just saying that as Bismarck said "Politics is the Art of the Possible" - candidates need to stop being chosen by fantasy and with more of an idea of whether they can win. It's unfortunate no other known Republicans ran in the primary there - but I'm quite confident one of the other random no-names that did would actually be closer in the polls now, than Harris.
And given a finite sum of money the Republicans have nationally, it makes no sense throwing it down a hole - simply making a stack of bills and lighting it on fire would be more useful than the RNC supporting Harris financially. Spend it where it might make a difference.
well said....
and with that all that said we would all vote for her
good person but with her baggage(fair or not) she ain't getting many non hard core Republican votes
Katherine Harris introduced her bill, American Dream Down Payment Act, in the U.S. House of Representatives a brief four months after she began her service (April 8, 2003).
Bill Nelson U.S. House of Representatives 1978-1990. Nelson was in his sixth year of service when he introduced the following bill. It is the only law I found during his 12 years in the House for which he claims credit on his web site.
H.R.930 : A bill to amend title 18 of the United States Code with respect to computer crime.
Sponsor: Rep Nelson, Bill [FL-11] (introduced 2/4/1985) Cosponsors (36)
Committees: House Judiciary
Latest Major Action: 5/23/1985 House committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Subcommittee Hearings Held.
There was a little more to it than that, IMHO. She chose to give up her "safe" seat in Congress to run for the Senate.
Just my take, but ambition got the best of her.
Yes, she did her job and what was right during the 2000 election, but what ever provoked her to get in the race in the first place is beyond me.
Of course, I have a gripe with Crist and Gallagher too, because if they had cooperated and one run for Governor and the other for Senate, we might not be in this predicament either.
I like Katherine Harris! I wish I could vote for her. I hope there are enough thinking people in Florida that will do it in my stead.
LOL! Very true!
Not only will they blindly say that she's gonna win, they'll also question your GOP credentials if you say the opposite of them.
She's got 2 of 2 out of this house.
I agree. I shrug off straw polls. The prior poll was heartening but I didn't read it closely. Too bad.
No, he was referring to those who stubbornly refuse to accept reality and believe that Harris has a chance of winning the general election.
Rush is in FL and he has said recently that Harris is only behind 10 pts. And .. Rush said that if the RNC would just get behind her that number is not insurmoutable.
It was a delusional poll.
This is a disgrace.
Ahhh!!! YOU RINO SELLOUT!!!
If only you RINO'S got behind REAL CONSERVATIVES we'd win EVERY RACE!!!
We need candidates like Kathrine in ALL FIFTY STATES!!! It's only because of you liberal, media duped, girly man, RINO's that she's behind!
{/ Sarcasm }
P.S. I feel rediculous putting the sarcasm tag on this it's so obvious, but last time I didn't, nobody got the joke. :(
If he told you Wolverines would make good housepets, would you believe him?
She only won the primary because her other opponents were non-names.
Truth be told, she got LESS THEN 50% of the vote when she was the only name anybody knew.
i.e. had the primary been between Harris and -someone else-, someone else would have won.
Excuse me .. if your statements got audited, would you have a 98.5% accuracy rating ..??
I didn't think so!
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