Posted on 07/16/2010 12:29:18 PM PDT by Maelstorm
Washington's Senate race looks increasingly like a referendum on incumbent Democrat Patty Murray with two Republican candidates edging past her this month.
A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in Washington State finds Republican hopefuls Dino Rossi and Clint Didier both earning 48% support in match-ups with Murray. She, in turn, picks up 45% of the vote against the two GOP challengers. Less than 10% of voters in both cases prefer some other candidate in the race or are undecided.
In June, Murray and Rossi were tied as they have been in virtually every survey this year. Since the beginning of the year, Murray has earned 46% to 48% of the vote, while Rossi's support has ranged from 46% to 49%.
Incumbents that fall short of 50% at this stage of a campaign are considered potentially vulnerable, but worrisome for Murray is that this is her poorest showing of the year. She was reelected to a third term in 2004 with 55% of the vote.
Washington is one of nine states currently characterized as Toss-Ups in the Rasmussen Reports Senate Balance of Power rankings.
Last month, Murray led Didier, a former professional football player, 48% to 40%. Prior to that survey, Didier's support had ranged from 30% to 37% since January. In the same time period, Murray earned 47% to 51% in match-ups with Didier
A third Republican hopeful, businessman Paul Akers, continues to trail Murray. But in the latest survey, the incumbent leads Akers 46% to 41%, while a month ago she was ahead 48% to 38%.
(Excerpt) Read more at rasmussenreports.com ...
“Electability” was the only argument the Rossi people had. Now it’s gone. In fact, I think Rossi is less electable than Didier when you consider who is most likely to show up at the polls in this off-year election...even in Washington State.
And yet, there will be those party types that tell us we must vote for Rossi. More $$, more name ID, more experience, etc etc.
I say HELL NO.
After reading that depressing news about Dingy Hairy pulling ahead of Angle in NV, this brightens my day.
I’ve decided to vote for Didier in the primary. Rossi is a good guy but he is an also-ran from 2004 and 2008. We need fresh blood and new thinking. Didier sounds like a real conservative.
However, I would vote for a tree stump before I’d vote for Patty Murray. Now that Biden is gone, Murray is the dumbest member of the US Senate. And that says a lot!
PING
The only concern I have about Didier is that he’s backed by Ron Paul. Is this something we have to worry about?
Either way - works for me!
Ron Paul backs a lot of candidates some are nutty as he can be some aren’t. I’ve not seen anything that puts Didier in that category. I do know that he speaks with conviction and he has a passion for this race that I don’t see in Rossi.
Where’s the (formerly large) “Didier can’t beat Murray” crowd? { / crickets }
No.
Boxer and Murray are in a dead heat for that title.
You are probably right about electability. Too often people fail to consider name rec when evaluating polls. Its a catch 22 game. Chuck DeVore suffered from it, Patrick Hughes suffered from it and it is hard to over come. What happens then is the lack of favorable poll numbers become an excuse to hold an otherwise very electable conservative down. The NE and the NW have never been truly as blue as they appear to be based upon voting history. A very large segment of the voting public is apolitical to some extent. Very few are like us or desire to be like us or our counterparts on the other-side at Kos and DU. When you poll on ideology and what people really think you find people are far more conservative than both political parties. Even among the intellectual and social classes you find that Democrat/Liberal affiliation is often a product of their environment not their strongly held personal beliefs.
There are however a lot more of us and those who trend to our way of thinking. The big thing we have to deal with is many of them don’t know enough to know what they are politically and that is not their deficit as much as it is the problem the GOP has which where as the Democrat party has been proud of where they stand on issues and very vocal. Many in the GOP leadership are standoffish, when they could be embracing the principles of this nations founding with a sure path to victory and domination in politics for the near future they instead insist on blurring the lines. The only reason the GOP has been so clear now that they are in the minority is because of us. If it hadn’t been for us and the likes of Sarah Palin and talk radio Obama and the Democrats would be well on the path to have Obama’s face on Mount Rushmore.
Rossi will get a sympathy vote due to the seemingly shady way that King County would mysteriously find uncounted votes to put Gregoire ahead in the recounts.
If Didier has traction, then I would rather see him run for governor. Gregoire needs to go!
Too close. The Democrats can steal it.
I couldn’t agree more. I don’t think Rossi is a bad candidate I just don’t see him as the man for this time. We need people who not only are conservative but are proud and make the case without apology and naturally. Didier is that kind of man. His principles fuel his politics not the other way around.
I agree. Rossi looks like the guy the establishment wants to run all the time because he comes so close so often. Throw caution to the wind and elect a man with a real reason to run. If you lose then you know where you stand as a state.
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