Politics
PPP Has Nelson Out Front, But Repubs Start to Narrow Lead
Poll finds George LeMieux, Mike Haridopolos and Adam Hasner are unknown to two-thirds of voters
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George LeMieux, Adam Hasner and Mike Haridopolos
The poll -- with connections to prominent Democrats -- finds that Nelson, who has been in the U.S. Senate since first elected back in 2000 and on the Florida political stage for decades, remains unknown to almost a third of the voters. While 38 percent of those surveyed express approval of Nelson’s performance and 31 percent disapprove of him, the remaining 31 percent remain unsure about Florida’s senior senator. PPP found in a March poll that 38 percent of the state approved of Nelson while 34 percent disapproved of him.
In this new poll, when matched against various challengers, Nelson leads three Republican candidates by double digits. The poll also finds that the Republicans are starting to chip away at the Democrat’s lead and Nelson is not leading any of them by as much as he was back in March, despite the slightly lower disapproval rate.
Nelson topped former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, 46 percent to 35 percent. Back in March, Nelson led LeMieux by 15 points.
While Nelson beat former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner by 16 points in May, now the Democrat was up by 12 points, 47 percent to 35 percent.
State Senate President Mike Haridopolos trailed Nelson by 16 points in March and that margin also reduced to 12 points with the incumbent up 47 percent to 35 percent.
The poll found none of the three Republicans to be well-known despite all of them being wel- established officeholders.
LeMieux was the best known of the three Republican hopefuls with 9 percent favorability, compared to 22 percent who saw him as unfavorable and the remaining 69 percent unsure about him -- despite his 16-month term as the junior senator from the Sunshine State.
Haridopolos was even more unknown, with 7 percent seeing the state Senate president in a favorable light while 22 percent viewed him as unfavorable and the remainder were unsure about him.
Hasner remained the most unknown candidate with 4 percent seeing him as favorable, 18 percent as unfavorable, and the remaining 78 percent unsure.
“Bill Nelson’s approval ratings aren’t setting the world on fire but he consistently shows double-digit leads over his prospective Republican opponents,” said PPP President Dean Debnam.
The poll of 848 Florida voters was taken between June 16-19 and had a margin of error of +/- 3.4 percent.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.--
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Alexander George, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, says "mediocre" Bill Nelson isn't enough!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRLog (Press Release) – Jun 29, 2011 – Champions Gate, Florida-
CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE
Alexander George for United States Senate
Contact: Beckie Cooper
bcooper@alexandergeorge.net
www.alexandergeorge.net
For Immediate Release
June 28, 2011
Alexander George, Republican candidate for United States Senate, responded to the Public Policy Polling organization's assessment of U.S. Senator Bill Nelson today. The poll suggested that U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, running for his third term, is mediocre but acceptable to the voters of Florida. The Democratically leaning PPP organization also values the input of independent voters. "In my eyes, the PPP redeems itself by listening to independent minded Floridians" said George.
Mr. George acknowledged that Senator Nelson holds a double digit lead over his Republican rivals. He openly criticized "liberal" media chains that have given Mr. Nelson a "free ride". "One of my opponents, former-Senator LeMieux, established a strong identity during his sixteen month term. "Here we have an appointed U.S. Senator who not only listened to his constituents, but acted on their input and advice. We know who he is and what he stands for. I can't say the same thing about Senator Nelson. After two decades in Washington D.C., this career politician has repeatedly flip flopped on almost every issue." said George. Mr. George went on to explain his frustration with journalists. "They should conduct a fair and balanced assessment of all candidates".
Mr. George, who has met with thousands of Floridians since declaring his candidacy, went on to say that he is appalled by the "front runner" status bestowed on one of his fellow Republicans, Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos. "Most people I've met with haven't heard of Mike" said George, " but he has raised more money than anyone in the primary crowd... why? ..special interests. My money comes from the hard working citizens, not lobbyists. I am in this race for the right reasons. Some of us want to serve our state, not advance our political careers. The media has a duty and obligation to examine the entire field. I'm not only referring to myself. The media should report fairly on all candidates, including George LeMieux, Adam Hasner, Bill Fisher, Ron Rushing, and others ". said George.
Alexander George went on to express his appreciation to the PPP organization. He feels that they take the time to poll "real citizens", and not "just political junkies". He said that he looks forward to facing Senator Nelson on the campaign trail. "Sure, Bill got his free seat on the Space Shuttle" said George, "but that doesn't make him Armstrong.. he has to stop hiding behind that astronaut image and answer to Floridians. He is a legislator after all, isn't he?".
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