Elon Poll numbers: Dole, Hagan, Neal
The Elon University Poll put its latest results out this morning.
While slightly over 50 percent of respondents give U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole a positive job approval mark, only 37 percent say they're going to vote for her.
In a written statement that comes along with the numbers this morning, Poll Director Hunter Bacot writes:
"While Senator Dole receives decent reviews from North Carolinians overall, the Bush presidency is tempering her support a bit in the state, and this could prove a liability as she runs for reelection this fall."
President Bush did get pretty bad reviews, but his name isn't going to be on the ballot. I'm not convinced that all the difference in Dole's numbers can be chalked up to Bush - maybe part but not all.
There's might be a little bit of Coble effect at play - the "those guys in Washington are crooks but my guy is okay" take voters seem to have no matter where they are.
The data, by the way, on the question "Who do you think is the best candidate to oppose Sen. Dole," is all over the map. Hagan gets the nod, but her number is in the single digits and not significantly different from Neal's. More than 80 percent answered either "Don't' know" or "Too early to tell." The only thing that speaks to is none of the Democrats have enough name recognition right now to effectively wage a campaign against Dole.