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Two different polls, two different stories
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Make your choice and take your chance.
Strategic Vision, the Atlanta-based, Republican-oriented public affairs firm, has a U.S. Senate poll out that shows the Democratic race is further along than a Matt Towery survey released earlier this week.
Strategic Vision had this breakdown:
— Vernon Jones, 28%
— Dale Cardwell, 20%
— Jim Martin, 15%
— Rand Knight, 11%
— Josh Lanier, 5%
— Undecided, 21%
On Monday, Towery’s InsiderAdvantage cast the race like this:
— Vernon Jones, 21%
— Dale Cardwell, 14%
— Josh Lanier, 5%
— Jim Martin, 3%
— Rand Knight, 1%
— Undecided, 56%
Obviously the two significant differences between these polls are the standing of Jim Martin and the percentage of undecided voters.
Strategic Vision and InsiderAdvantage also duplicated polling on the Republican side of the 2010 race for governor — just in time for tomorrow’s state GOP convention in Columbus. But this time, results of the two surveys are much closer. The standings of Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine are the only major differences.
According to Strategic Vision:
— Casey Cagle, 19%
— John Oxendine, 12%
— Jack Kingston, 11%
— Glenn Richardson, 9%
— Karen Handel, 7%
— Lynn Westmoreland, 5%
— Undecided, 37%
According to InsiderAdvantage:
— John Oxendine, 17%
— Casey Cagle, 17%
— Jack Kingston, 10%
— Karen Handel, 7%
— Lynn Westmoreland, 6%
— Jerry Keen, 2%
— Undecided, 41%



DEL.ICIO.US


Comments
By Anti-Ox
May 16, 2008 9:34 AM | Link to this
The difference between the 2 polls has one factual explanation: John Oxendine and Vernon Jones are both clients of one of the pollster/spinmeister organizations referenced in your piece. There is no need to name which pollster but you can see which one’s poll has Client Jones and Client Ox faring better.
By Southern GA
May 16, 2008 11:46 AM | Link to this
I hope Handel decides to run. If I remember correctly she was not the front runner in her primary for SOS.
By Matt Towery
May 16, 2008 4:58 PM | Link to this
For the record, our firm is owned by a large group of investors and we are prohibited under our by-laws from polling political races for candidates. Because of our involvement with providing polling for news organizations, such as WSB-TV I felt I needed to address the issue raised in the comment labeled “Anti-OX” to avoid any confusion. Matt Towery, CEO, InsiderAdvantage
By Georgia Pat
May 16, 2008 5:25 PM | Link to this
Well, this outfit’s print publication and Web site are always riddled with proofreading, copy editing and factual errors (c’mon, Brenda Wood hasn’t been at WAGA for years!), so why should anyone trust their polling? It’s probably just as sloppily done. No credibility in my book.