FLORIDA MOVING FORWARD; IA PREZ POLLS; LA, NH & AL SEN UPDATES.
Continue Reading March 30th, 2007
FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE.
FLORIDA MOVING FORWARD; IA PREZ POLLS; LA, NH & AL SEN UPDATES.
FLORIDA: Two developments on the 2008 Presidential primary. First: Governor Charlie Crist (R) and State GOP Chair Jim Greer both endorsed the rapidly advancing bipartisan bill in the Florida Legislature that would move the state’s primary date to the “Tuesday following the New Hampshire primary.” Based on the current NH primary date, Florida’s primary would be January 29 — and would move further forward if NH advances their primary date. Both Crist and Greer said they were unconcerned that the RNC promises to eliminate half of the state’s delegates for making the move — including eliminating all of the super-delegate spots which traditionally are reserved from prominent party leaders and elected officials. Even though Greer said he will likely lose his delegate seat because of his stance, it is “the right thing to do” for the state. The DNC has vowed to do likewise to Florida Dems. With the Crist and Greer endorsements, Florida appears certain to buck the “official” DNC/RNC approved schedule and jump a week ahead of the massive Febuary 5 mega-primary day. “It’s the smartest move I’ve seen this cycle. They are the only one that has figured out if they go first, they could be the megastate to tip all megastates, and Florida could decide the nomination,” said respected political scientist Larry Sabato to the AP. That said, here are numbers from the new Insider Advantage/Florida Chamber of Commerce poll of Democratic voters in the Sunshine State: Hillary Clinton - 26%, John Edwards - 15%, Barack Obama - 14%, Al Gore - 14%, Bill Richardson - 7%, Joe Biden - 2%, and all others at less than 1%.
IOWA: New numbers from a Zogby telephone poll of likely Iowa GOP caucus participants shows Rudy Giuliani moving further ahead in the state. The numbers: Giuliani - 25%, John McCain - 19%, Mitt Romney - 11%, Fred Thompson - 7%, Tommy Thompson - 5%, Sam Brownback - 3%, Mike Huckabee - 2%, and Chuck Hagel and Tom Tancredo tied with 1% apiece. Oddly, Zogby excluded Newt Gingrich from the poll — even though he placed third in the January poll. Also out is a new American Research Group poll. On the GOP side, Giuliani and McCain are tied with 29% each, followed by Fred Thompson at 12%, Romney at 10%, Gingrich at 7%, and everyone else at 1% or less. On the Dem side, these are the ARG numbers: Clinton - 34%, Edwards - 33%, Obama - 16%, and all others at 2% or less.
LOUISIANA: It looks like former State Elections Commissioner Suzie Terrell (R) — to the surprise of most — is readying for a rematch run against US Senator Mary Landrieu (D) next year. Landrieu defeated Terrell is a very competitive contest in the 2002 run-off. In 2003, Terrell was the unsuccessful GOP candidate for Attorney General. Congressman Charles Boustany (R) recently announced he would not run against Landrieu. Congressman Richard Baker (R) is still considering the race.
ALABAMA: Democratic political blogs have recently been touting State Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks (D) as a candidate next year against US Senator Jeff Sessions (R). Dem activists view the popular Sparks, who won re-election last year by a solid 16-point margin, as the party’s strongest possible candidate. Sparks told the Troy Messenger that he is aware of the buzz and is not ruling the race out. “We’re not taking out any possibilities. The people of Alabama know my record … and what I stand for versus the people in office now,” said Sparks. He said he plans to meet with his political advisors and make a decision in a “few weeks or months.”
NEW HAMPSHIRE: A new American Research Group poll shows US Senator John Sununu (R) could be in big trouble if former Governor Jeanne Shaheen (D) decides to seek a rematch next year. The numbers: Shaheen - 44%, Sununu - 34%. Shaheen has yet to make any decision on the race. As for the Presidential race, here are the ARG Dem numbers: Clinton - 37%, Obama - 23%, Edwards - 20%, and all others far behind. The GOP numbers: McCain - 23%, Giuliani - 19%, Romney - 17%, Gingrich - 11%, Fred Thompson - 10%, and all others at 2% or less.
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