Harold Johnson has picked up the support of most of the voters who chose one of the also rans in the 8th District Republican primary for Congress, and as a result he's now opened up a 49-39 lead over Tim D'Annunzio with a week to go until the runoff election.
Among people who reported voting for Hal Jordan or Lou Huddleston last month Johnson holds a 60-28 advantage. Johnson is also holding onto 93% of the voters who chose him in the primary while just 80% of D'Annunzio's original supporters are still with him.
Whoever wins the nomination will have a lot of work to do to bring the party back together. Johnson and D'Annunzio's supporters each take a very dim view of the other candidate. Among D'Annunzio voters 63% have an unfavorable opinion of Johnson to only 12% who view him positively. Among Johnson voters 78% see D'Annunzio in a negative light to only 5% with a positive opinion of him. This mutual enmity is a far cry from, for instance, the Democratic contest for US Senate where most Elaine Marshall voters still view Cal Cunningham favorably and vice versa.
Larry Kissell is having to deal with a divided party in his quest for reelection but his path will be made easier if the Republicans end up being just as divided. Barring a big shift in the final week that GOP opponent trying to reunite his party will be Harold Johnson.
Full results here
when is Marshall vs. Cunningham coming
ReplyDeleteI have no doubt in mind my that most Republicans favor Johnson at this point, but I also have no doubt that a higher percentage of D'Annunzio zealots will actually show up at the polls.
ReplyDeleteWere God to send floods on Tuesday, D'Annunzio supporters will build arks. Turnout is going to be so low, voter intensity alone will determine this run-off.
That's not quantified here. Get ready for a surprise.
Intensity matters in a low-turnout race, but you may be missing the fact that there is a lot of intensity on the ground here AGAINST D'Annunzio.
ReplyDeleteWarranted or not, there are many who view him as a dangerously loose cannon, however conservative, and who are fearful of having him represent the party and the movement in November.
Moreover, his campaign has just been caught having fabricated the famous Johnson "Err, um,err..." ad, where they played what was purported to be an answer given by Johnson to a question about what his priority would be if elected to Congress. That sort of misdeed, exposed on right-leaning WBT and being shared with their listeners (D'Annunzio's voters)now, may well be the final straw that breaks the D'Annunzio campaign.
Freaking amateurs.
"Thou shalt NOT screw up a serious campaign with college-prank level skulduggery" is a lesson Tim's campaign team have STILL not learned.
"when is Marshall vs. Cunningham coming"
ReplyDeleteWe didn't poll the runoff because we're doing it for a private client.
Harold Johnson is the man to bring JOBS and employment opportunities to the 8th. I have a major business interest in 3 counties in the 8th. I need help not a distraction. Harold will make us proud. I want to be the first person to shake his hand when he votes against Nancy Pelosi. Go HAROLD JOHNSON.
ReplyDelete"Harold Johnson is the man to bring JOBS and employment opportunities to the 8th."
ReplyDeleteReally? Where's he bringing them from? Iredell County? They've got worse unemployment.
What a joke. The only job Harold Johnson has a plan to create in the 8th District is his own. Read his FEC report. Even his speech writers live in D.C.