Chief
02-18-2008, 09:41 AM
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/connelly/351364_joel15.html?source=mypi
By JOEL CONNELLY
P-I COLUMNIST
One feature of the four-year political struggle between Gov. Chris Gregoire and almost-Gov. Dino Rossi has been an abundance of suspect and self-serving opinion surveys.
At last comes a poll, albeit with a few weeks under its belt, that surprised its takers.
Washington Conservation Voters hired Grove Insight, Portland's top pollster, in November to see if Evergreen State voters are ready to walk the talk against global warming.
WCV threw in a series of questions that were NOT mentioned in the Jan. 22 news release announcing poll results. The key finding: The Gregoire-Rossi race is dead even.
In a trial heat, the incumbent Democrat had 43 percent, her Republican challenger received 41 percent, and 16 percent were undecided. The poll was based on interviews with 588 likely general election voters. It had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.
The poll revealed a political landscape rather like a World War I battlefield. People are dug into their partisan positions. Rossi gets 89 percent backing from Republicans. Gregoire runs a slightly less impressive 76 percent among fellow Democrats.
**SCHNIPP**
Good to see that the race is tightening up, but can it last? Dino came close last time, and I'm hoping there are enough people who are fed up with Chirsting that will give Dino Rossi a try..
Developing...
By JOEL CONNELLY
P-I COLUMNIST
One feature of the four-year political struggle between Gov. Chris Gregoire and almost-Gov. Dino Rossi has been an abundance of suspect and self-serving opinion surveys.
At last comes a poll, albeit with a few weeks under its belt, that surprised its takers.
Washington Conservation Voters hired Grove Insight, Portland's top pollster, in November to see if Evergreen State voters are ready to walk the talk against global warming.
WCV threw in a series of questions that were NOT mentioned in the Jan. 22 news release announcing poll results. The key finding: The Gregoire-Rossi race is dead even.
In a trial heat, the incumbent Democrat had 43 percent, her Republican challenger received 41 percent, and 16 percent were undecided. The poll was based on interviews with 588 likely general election voters. It had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.
The poll revealed a political landscape rather like a World War I battlefield. People are dug into their partisan positions. Rossi gets 89 percent backing from Republicans. Gregoire runs a slightly less impressive 76 percent among fellow Democrats.
**SCHNIPP**
Good to see that the race is tightening up, but can it last? Dino came close last time, and I'm hoping there are enough people who are fed up with Chirsting that will give Dino Rossi a try..
Developing...