Poll: Wake Lawmaker Fares Well Against Dole

Raleigh, N.C. — Democratic state Rep. Grier Martin of Wake County would run a close race if he were to square off against U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole next year, according to a new poll.

Public Policy Polling, a Raleigh group that represents many Democratic clients, including Martin, surveyed 553 likely voters on Monday about a hypothetical race between Dole and Martin. The poll has a 4.2 percent margin of error.

Democrats have had difficulty in fielding a candidate to run against Dole. Gov. Mike Easley and 13th District Congressman Brad Miller have already said they wouldn't enter the race.

Martin and state Sen. Kay Hagan, D-Guilford, have been mentioned as possible candidates for a 2008 Senate run.

Dole leads Martin 43 to 37 percent in the Public Policy poll, and she outdistances Hagan 43 to 27 percent.

Martin was described by pollsters as a “37-year-old, two-term legislator” and “veteran of the War in Afghanistan,” while Hagan was a “five-term state senator” and “chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.”

“To compensate for the extremely low name recognition of state legislators, we added a short description of Martin and Hagan to the survey,” Public Policy President Dean Debnam said. “Grier Martin, or his profile, does very well against Sen. Dole. If he were to enter the race, he could be even more competitive than other Democrats we have tested.”

A polling firm that works with Dole questioned Public Policy's methodology.

A statewide poll conducted on behalf of Dole's campaign showed she had a 61 percent approval rating, and 59 percent of respondents had favorable impressions of her.

The poll was conducted by Voter Comsumer Research between June 19 and June 21 and included 500 registered voters statewide. The margin of error is 4.4 percent.

In the Public Policy poll, Dole had a 46 percent approval rating in North Carolina, while 40 percent of respondents disapprove of her job performance.

President George W. Bush’s 35 percent approval rating among likely North Carolina voters is the lowest Public Policy has ever measured, Debnam said.

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I am actually very fond of Sen. Dole, despite her party's politics. A few times I have filed complaints with her office (not about her) which her staff immediately contacted me about. Hmm, maybe it's her staff I like.

aquamama
GOLO member since July 3, 2007
July 12, 2007 3:15 p.m.

Patriots revenge I have not said anything negative; I only expressed what I would prefer. In my profession, everyone I work with has to have a minimum of a BA to even get an interview. Many people I work with have one or more Masters and many have Doctoral degrees. There was a time when my employer would interview and hire people without degrees. It has been my personal experience with over 30 years in the industry and working with hundreds of people, that the ones that lacked integrity and common sense were worthless regardless of their education level. In your response you demonstrate clear bigotry towards people without colledge degrees. The term "ugh" comes to mind. Also, just because someone does not have a degree, it does not mean that a high school diploma was all they aspired to achieve. Because someone has a degree, does not guarantee they bring more to the table.

whatelseisnew
GOLO member since October 18, 2007
July 11, 2007 9:34 p.m.

maybe you need to Mrs. Dole's page and see what law's she has help pass. Don't judge a book by its color. For 1 she has stood firm against the amisty bill that did not pass 2 time's, So go to her page before you start slandering someone's name.

Joy4u2
GOLO member since July 3, 2007
July 11, 2007 8:08 p.m.

Mark,

If our polls are so unreliable, then how do you explain our success?

There is no evidence that IVR polls are plagued by any of the problems you mentioned. Do you have evidence? IVR polls do, as a matter of fact, correct many problems faced by live interviewer polls; for example, interviewer bias.

Frankly - in my opinion - you are worried about your client, Senator Dole. She is obviously vulnerable and you are lashing out at bad news. I'm sure if we painted a rosier picture for her then you wouldn't be complaining about our methodology.

The fact is that Senator Dole has consistently polled below 50% against every Democrat we've tried. That's not the spot you want to be in if you're an incumbent - and I'm being kind here too.

justing
July 11, 2007 6:35 p.m.

Justin,

You can't even verify who you have on the other end of the phone in your polling. Might be the voter - might be the wrong number - might be a 12 year old kid. Computer polling has no quality control. Frankly - in my opinion - it is not sound methodology - and I'm being kind here.

mark

markstephens
July 11, 2007 5:39 p.m.