Latest Polls Predict Republican Gains

NewsMax ^ | 9/18/02 | Limbacher

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

Political consultant Kevin Collins of Staten Island reports good news in the polls for Republicans in some key races around the country.

Some highlights:

• In the North Carolina Senate race, a Mason Dixon survey shows Elizabeth Dole leading Erskine Bowles 49 - 35 perent.

• In Ohio, Mason Dixon also shows incumbent Governor Bob Taft leading his Democratic challenger Tim Hagan 48 - 37 percent.

• In the Minnesota Senate race, Republican challenger Coleman leads incumbent Senator Paul Wellstone 44 to 40 percent in a poll commissioned by Coleman.

• In New Jersey, incumbent Senator Robert Torricelli is trailing Republican challenger Doug Forrester by six points, according to the statewide Eagleton Poll.

• In Alabama, Republican challenger Bob Riley holds a slim lead over incumbent Governor Don Siegelman, the latest Birmingham News survey shows.

Finally, surveys measuring the appeal of each party overall, which generally favor Democrats, also contain some good news for the GOP.

An Associated Press poll shows the two parties even at 40 percent each, while two other surveys show Republicans actually leading with margins of 2 to 8 percent.

[frmrda]

I don't think they have this quite right. The MN poll out today (media poll) had Wellstone up by 4.

What Eagleton Poll are they talking about in NJ that has Forrester up by 6? I haven't seen it. The last I saw had Torch up with registered voters, but Forrester up w/ likely voters.

[vannrox]

Not according to Drudge 9-16-2002. Poll predict a close 50/50 race with Democrat gains that might upset the Majority control in COngress.

[finnman69]

What about MO and SD?

[Coop]

• In the Minnesota Senate race, Republican challenger Coleman leads incumbent Senator Paul Wellstone 44 to 40 percent in a poll commissioned by Coleman.

Yeah, this is Coleman's poll, while the media poll showed Wellstone (as always) with a slight lead within MOE. I don't have a single poll showing Forrester with a 6-point lead. Must be a new one out. Gotta do some digging!

[lexington minuteman 1775]

I would not hang my hat on Drudge (Sorry, but could not resist that pun).

[Coop]

I didn't find an Eagleton poll showing Forrester up by six points, but I did find a new Eagleton poll. Perhaps there will soon be an accompanying article detailing general voter choices between the two candidates.

http://slerp.rutgers.edu/releases/138-4.pdf

This poll does show some good news for Forrester:
-Republicans and independents are both more engaged and excited than Democrats.
-The generic voter preference favors Torch slightly in general, but Forrester among those most likely to vote. This was a good gauge in recent NJ elections for final outcomes.
-Torch's best argument, IMHO, was the "don't give the GOP the Senate" approach." This poll shows that issue is a dead heat. No advantage either way. Not good for Bobby T.

[hchutch]

GOP gains two, four if we can pick off Cleland and keep the Libertarians from spoiling Thune in South Dakota.

That's a 53-46-1 margin. What irks me is that it would have easily been a 55-44-1 margin had it not been for the third-party types who hypocritically spout a stand for "principle" while they elect someone who opposes them on EVERY principle.

[Coop]

These races are so darned close right now it's really not even worth worrying about predictions, in my view. The GOP could easily capture a net gain of four seats, and the Dems could also capture a net gain of four seats. Just a little swing in national momentum either way...

[hchutch]

I know. But how do we swing it our way?

[Coop]

Vote and volunteer for campaigns in your area, donate to candidates in other areas you'd like to see win, and inform friends/neighbors in those areas about your favored candidate and his/her positions.

[KarlInOhio]

How about having Sadam in a cage as the "guest" of honor in the Gulf War II victory parade on November 4th.

[Spyder]

They don't mention Hawaii, where the Republican (Lingle) is running double digits ahead in the gubernatorial polls.

We also have a small chance of pulling off a representative as Patsy Mink (aka Pinko Minko) is still hospitalized with pneumonia. No signs of her withdrawing from the race, but if she's still on the ticket as of September 26, then has to pull out before the election the Democrats won't have anyone on the ticket at all. I wish her the best in health but would dearly love to see her out of Congress. She seems to take orders from Maxine Waters, and I think is the only Asian on the Black Caucus (or at least she made a show of walking out with them during the Gore/Bush vote).