Well, this is probably not what the Indiana GOP wanted to wake up to this morning:Disillusioned with President Bush's handling of the war, the economy and immigration, nearly half of likely voters in Indiana appear poised to buck 40 years of tradition and vote for a Democratic presidential ticket -- if it includes Sen. Evan Bayh, according to a new Indianapolis Star-WTHR (Channel 13) poll.
The poll of 600 Hoosiers -- including 449 who say they will definitely vote in the November 2008 election -- revealed a growing sense of pessimism, with nearly three-quarters saying the nation is headed in the wrong direction and 28 percent approving of George W. Bush's performance as president.
[...]
The results also hint at a slight shift away from traditionally conservative Hoosier views on some issues, said J. Ann Selzer, president of Selzer & Co., a Des Moines, Iowa-based public opinion research firm that conducted the poll.
That includes 60 percent who support universal health coverage and 87 percent who favor requirements to make vehicles more fuel-efficient. There's a lot in here, so let's start at the top and work our way down.
Selzer & Co. of Des Moines, Iowa
Nov. 13-16 -- MoE 4.9% If the election were held today... (Presidential)Democratic candidate -- 37%
Republican candidate -- 32%
It depends -- 16%
Not sure -- 15%
If the election were held today, and Sen. Evan Bayh were the VP...Democratic candidate -- 47%
Republican candidate -- 33%
Not sure -- 20% Read over that a few times, and let the beauty of those numbers sink in. Even without the popular Sen. Evan Bayh providing some favorite son love, the generic Democratic presidential candidate is polling ahead of the Republican nominee by an amount we'll generously call outside the margin of error. I don't think I need to remind you that the last Democrat to win this state in a presidential race was LBJ back in 1964.
On the issues, the Republicans don't fare any better. Universal health care:Approve -- 60%
Oppose -- 33%
Not sure -- 7%
Requiring greater fuel efficiency standards from auto makers:Approve -- 87%
Oppose: 11%
Not sure: 2% That's bread and butter stuff, folks, and exactly what the 2008 presidential race will be about. Well, that and Iraq.Should US troops stay longer in Iraq if it means greater stability for that country, or leave sooner if it means fewer soldiers will face injury and/or death:Stay longer -- 38%
Leave sooner -- 56% That last figure is a complete inversion of the polling numbers from March of 2005. In other words, back then it was 35% to 58% against leaving sooner, which is almost as dramatic as the shift against President Bush, who now enjoys a 28%/66% standing on the approval/disapproval question.
It's a lot to slog through, I know, but it is definitely exciting stuff. You can get the full rundown here.
And I have to assume they polled the gubernatorial race, which based on this doesn't mean good things for the former Bush administration official we have in charge of our state.
Please, say you did? |
