Finally a GOP GOV Primary Poll (Iowa)

Cedar Rapids Gazette ^ | 06/01/2010 | Todd Dorman

[iowamark]

North Carolina-based Public Policy Polling actually polled the Iowa Republican gubernatorial primary. Yeah, the one next week.

Branstad is up by 15 points, 46-31, over Vander Plaats, with Rod Roberts at 13 percent. The poll was of 474 likely GOP primary voters with a 4.5 percent margin of error.

From PPP press release: ""In the Iowa Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, Roxanne Conlin appears headed for a romp, while Terry Branstad is surprisingly under 50% in his bid for the Republican Gubernatorial nomination.

Terry Branstad has just 46% to entrepreneur Bob Vander Plaats’ 31% and State Representative Rod Roberts’ 13%. His standing is less strong than expected given his previous 16 year tenure as Governor. Branstad gets 41-68% of the vote across the ideological spectrum, but does worst among the 74% conservative majority, edging Tea Party favorite Vander Plaats only 41-35.

Branstad is very well liked, with a 59-20 favorability rating. Vander Plaats also grades well, at 47-19, with the least-known Roberts at 24-15.

Former U.S. Attorney Roxanne Conlin, the establishment pick, pulls 48% in the race to challenge Senator Chuck Grassley in the fall. While 31% are undecided at this late stage, the two lesser-known candidates, former State Representiative Bob Krause and former State Senator Tom Fiegen, get only 13% and 8%, respectively. Conlin leads Krause by 30 points among the 38% liberal minority, and tops Fiegen by 50 points among the 46% moderate plurality, but trumps Krause only 24-22 among the 16% conservative minority.""

[iowamark]

We can see that Christian Socialist Vander Plaats paid for this poll, calling himself the "tea party favorite." Unfortunately, the most conservative candidate Rod Roberts is drowned out by the Branstad-VanderPlaats publicity.

[Conservativegreatgrandma]

I think this polling firm leans left. However, in this election, we have a RAT-financed group, "Iowans for Responsible Government" sending out tons of anti-Branstad ads and also buying TV and radio time in their effort to stop Branstad from winning the primary. They're teaming up with a certain radical element of the Republican party to try to win the primary for VP. It looks like they're all wasting their time and money. If Branstad endures this onslaught, he is mighty tough.

Roberts is a very good man and he still has his self respect after this is over. I've lost all respect for VP and his supporters. Some even claim they will not support Branstad if he is the nominee--they'd rather have Culver who has been a disaster of a governor. Shame on them.

[Free Vulcan]

I’m thinking B will be closer to 50%.

[elisheba]

Thank God Culver has never really had any big state money to throw around since he has been gov. He would have loved to throw big bux right down the leftwing rathole.
BTW, have lost some of my former confidence in Grassley. That unfortunate, offcolor joke he told in conference committee meeting that got on video was the first thing. It sure tarnished his image for me, and I am sure that was the reason it saw airtime. He has also gotten too cosy with beltway values and voting for me, sad to say. I actually saw him and his wife in a local grocery store maybe a year ago or more and thanked him for his service to our country. That was before the joke incident. I had a lot more admiration for him then.

[cornfedcowboy]

Vander Platts a “socialist”? Please explain. I am more likely to support BVP than Branstad. We need some new energy pumped in to our state. That being said, we could do a lot worse than Branstad.

[xjcsa]

We can see that Christian Socialist Vander Plaats paid for this poll, calling himself the "tea party favorite."

I can see how BVP's connection to Mike Huckabee (whom I call a Christian Socialist) might make you think of him as a Christian Socialist, but I don't see any other evidence to back it up. Everything I've heard him say has been conservative. Christian? Yes. Socialist? Hardly.

Also - do you have any evidence that Vander Plaats paid for this poll? I don't think they have the money to spend on something like that, and PPP normally works for Dems.

Unfortunately, the most conservative candidate Rod Roberts is drowned out by the Branstad-VanderPlaats publicity.

Roberts is a good man and a strong conservative, but he's too bland and dull as a speaker to punch through. Maybe that's too bad, but it's a fact of life. Have you seen his TV ad? "My name is State Representative Rod Roberts." That's not his name, and whoever let him cut an ad opening with that line ought to be fired.

[xjcsa]

That unfortunate, offcolor joke he told in conference committee meeting that got on video was the first thing.

Your other reasons have some validity, but as for this one - God forbid we have a Senator with a sense of humor who lets something a little edgy slip out of his mouth *once* in all the hours upon hours he spends speaking on camera every year.

[iowamark]

VDP is very close to liberal Huckster, the very antithesis of conservatism, except on abortion and guns. Bob will now say anything. Today he says he is against illegal immigration, very much unlike his boss. A few weeks ago he was saying that Iowa needs much higher immigration.

Vander Plaats Says Legal Immigration is Key to Iowa’s Growth

There is a reason the Dems are spending so much on ads implicitly backing VDP. He is the candidate they want.

[Conservativegreatgrandma]

This with more info about the poll:

http://theiowarepublican.com/home/2010/06/02/unintended-consequences-%e2%80%93-poll-shows-branstad-with-healthy-lead/comment-page-1/#comment-22620

[HereInTheHeartland]

It's sad we will be stuck with Branstad again, but we will. I just can't see why a better candidate didn't emerge.

[Conservativegreatgrandma]

Iowamark: You have that exactly. When those trial lawyers started their campaign, I knew then that Branstad was the one they feared. That was the day I became an offical Branstad supporter and I have not been sorry. Granted, Roberts is a very good man.

VP could never gotten as far as he has without all the free publicity from goofball, Deace for fifteen hours weekly on WHO. IFPC has joined forces because they too, dance to Deace's tune. Deace is at the center of all this unpleasantness. Deace and this so-called "Christian" group is more than happy to team up with these scumbag Democrat trial lawyers in their attempt to destroy Branstad to get their little puppet, VP, the nomination.

I believe VP would be our weakest candidate in the general election. I would rather take my chances with Roberts than VP. VP is nothing without his puppet masters.

[xjcsa]

VDP is very close to liberal Huckster, the very antithesis of conservatism, except on abortion and guns.

I'll admit that I cringe every time BVP mentions his association with Huck.

There is a reason the Dems are spending so much on ads implicitly backing VDP. He is the candidate they want.

I don't buy that. I think they consider a Branstad nomination a foregone conclusion and are trying to soften him up now, and to fracture the Republican base.

[iowamark]

Yes, Branstad’s nomination may be nearly inevitable. However, I cannot believe the amount of money the Dems are spending against him. It seems like I get mail from “Iowans for Responsible Government” every other day.