Last night won’t be the last that word trickles in of telephone polling in Arkansas. Making sense of is the hard part.
Rasmussen, to name one, was calling last night. The questions from the Republican-leaning outfit:
1. Approval of Obama
2. Approval of Beebe
3. Male/Female
4. Age
5. Race
6. Ethnicity
7. Voting freq in gen elections
8. Party
9. Vote for Senate, Cotton or Pryor only
10. Vote for Governor, Hutchinson or Ross only
Name Recog/Favorable/Unfavorable:
11. Pryor
12. Cotton
13. Ross
14. Hutchinson
15. Huckabee
16. Condition of economy
17. Condition of personal finances
18. Opinion of ACA
19. Personal experience with ACA
Hutchinson or Ross handle better governor on:
20. Spending
21. Taxes
22. Social issues
23. Corruption
24. Political philosophy
25. Marital status
26. Children living at home
27. Income
The millions already being spent by outside groups in this race tell you they’ve decided the answers to some of these questions. Obama/Pelosi vs. Beebe in the governor’s race. It’ll be Obamacare vs. Medicare in the Senate race, though, interestingly the Democratic talking point is left off this instrument.
And Huckabee? What’s that about?
Also calling this week: A laughable short interview by a live questioner who identified himself as coming from one of the Koch-backed Americans for Propserity affiliates. Do you like Obamacare? (No pushing in use of that word, right?) And are you liberal or conservative. In the tape I heard, the surveyor laughed derisively at a recipient who loved Obamacare and described himself as a strong conservative.
Note this polling runs as “independent” groups are flooding TV with ads pounding Mark Pryor on, what else, Obamacare.
UPDATE: Some Rassmussen numbers are out — a 47-43 lead for Cotton over Pryor with 4 for another candidate and six undecided. Dead heat territory, still, but not a Pryor lead as some recent polls have had it. The Rasmussen release said the poll was conducted Feb. 4-5. A typo apparently. It was May 27-28.