Hagel Extremely Vulnerable, Iraq War Not the Issue Bruning Thinks it Is
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 3, 2007
Contact: Eric Fought
(402) 434-2184
eric@nebraskademocrats.org
Hagel Extremely Vulnerable, Iraq War Not the Issue Bruning Thinks it Is
LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Democratic Party this morning released new polling data looking at approval ratings and public sentiment regarding U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel and Nebraska Attorney General and potential Senate Candidate Jon Bruning.
According to the findings of the recent statewide survey of Nebraska, Hagel is on a dangerous terrain, particularly if he is to face Bruning in a Republican primary. Today, Hagel earns a net negative job performance score statewide with 42 percent of voters saying he is doing an excellent-to-good job, while a majority, 50 percent, says fair-to-poor. Hagel’s job performance is most negative with his Republican base, while it is net positive among Democrats and solidly mixed among independents. Among conservative Republicans, Hagel’s professional marks have crumbled, with almost two-thirds, 61 percent, saying he is doing a fair-to-poor job as Senator.
The poll results show that Bruning’s name recognition in the state is below what would be expected for someone who ran for statewide office twice and who has used government funds to market himself through Public Service Advertisements. Of those surveyed, 59 percent identified Bruning, 90 percent identified Hagel.
However, in sharp contrast to Hagel, Bruning earns a solid 61-degree personal feeling thermometer rating among those who can rate him, with a slightly better than three-to-one warm-to-cool ratio, 35 percent have a favorable or warm opinion of him, while 10 percent have a cool opinion. Bruning earns a strong professional rating as well, with 40 percent saying he is doing an excellent-to-good job, while 29 percent say fair-to-poor. Unlike Hagel, Bruning’s job performance is solid among the Republican base, and independents too, while Democrats split evenly.
The poll results indicate that Bruning might want to change the theme of his campaign however, as the Iraq war continues to be fought. Among those Nebraskans surveyed, 51 percent favor a timetable for withdrawing from Iraq, while only 37 percent believe we need to give the President’s troop surge plan a chance to work. We believe those margins will continue to widen as the President’s policy plays out in the next several months.
The poll numbers released are based on a statewide survey of 500 likely November 2008 Nebraska voters. The survey was designed by Myers Research & Strategic Services and interviews were conducted by professional interviews between March 29 and April 3, 2007. The survey included Republican, Democratic and independent voters.
“It is clear that Senator Hagel is in trouble,” said Matt Connealy, Executive Director of the Nebraska Democratic Party. “These numbers indicate that Nebraskans will be looking for a change in representation in the U.S. Senate. It appears that Jon Bruning will present a strong challenge, however his numbers should be stronger for a statewide elected official.”
After assessing these numbers, Nebraska Democrats are confident that they will be afforded an opportunity to bring a strong candidate to the 2008 Senate race.
“Nebraskans are now joining with other voices throughout the country who believe we need a new direction for America and a new strategy for Iraq,” said Connealy. “We believe that if Bruning doesn’t move from his lockstep position behind the President, he will find great resistance to his position on the war.”