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Poll Results: Weiland Not Losing Lots of Votes to Pressler

The latest Madville Times poll calls into question the thesis advanced by Team Rounds last week that Larry Pressler is taking more votes away from Democrat Rick Weiland than from Republican Mike Rounds. I asked Wednesday, "Who gets your vote for U.S. Senate?" You, dear readers, like Rick Weiland a lot:

  • Rick Weiland: 66% (116 votes)
  • Mike Rounds: 12% (21)
  • Larry Pressler: 11% (20)
  • Gordon Howie: 11% (20)

Now the margin of error in any Madville Times poll is the size of the broad side of Mike Rounds's private airplane hangar. But this poll tests the wishful GOP hypothesis that, among a bunch of Democrats, you'll find a big chunk of Pressler voters. The memo Team Rounds handed to Roll Call for propaganda purposes puts the ratio at 5 Pressler Democrats for every 8 Weiland voters. If you accept the notion that this blog mostly draws Democrats as readers (and that's open for debate), then the results above find the Pressler–Weiland ratio among Dems more like 1 to 6. If readers of this blog represent Democratic sentiment statewide, Democrats won't propel Pressler back to office the way they did forty years ago when they deserted Democratic Rep. Frank Denholm.

If anything, the poll results suggest Team Weiland should be more worried about really confused Dems voting for the smiley but gubernatorially feckless Rounds, who edges Pressler by one vote here. Holy cow! Someone needs to shout EB-5! a little harder.

10 Comments

  1. Lynn 2014.07.27

    It would be nice if this poll reflects the vote count in November. I'd really like to see Pressler get 2nd ahead of 3rd place Rounds. :)

  2. JeniW 2014.07.27

    If interested read the below link to an op-ed that includes Stan Adelstein telling Pressler he should quit his campign.

    "When pressed on the point, Adelstein — an important early backer of Rounds during his improbable, successful Republican primary run in the 2002 gubernatorial race — said Pressler should withdraw sometime in August “for the good of the Republican Party.”

    http://blog.keloland.com/politicsinkeloland/2014/07/15/pressler-adelstein-and-hurst/

    So could it be that Stan is concerned about Pressler pulling support away from Rounds?

  3. Roger Cornelius 2014.07.27

    Lynn,
    Second or third place in a political race is pretty much irrelevant. It often matters for name recognition for political newcomers and future campaigns, in this case, Pressler, Rounds, and Weiland are all pretty well known.

    Rounds is committing to only four debates, Weiland will only have those debates to challenge and hammer home EB-5 to his face. After Labor Day, when the campaign really starts, I expect Rick will hit Rounds relentless on EB-5 and his failed leadership as governor.
    As long as can wish, I wish EB-5 will grow into a national scandal and that it is Rounds that will drop out.

  4. Tim 2014.07.27

    RC, since we don't have any legitimate media here to dig on EB-5 (no disrespect intended Cory), and the republicans in charge are sure as hell not going to investigate, I don't think we will need to worry about a national scandal. Rick Weiland needs to keep talking about EB-5 but he also needs to hit Rounds on his less than conservative spending habits. Drive the nutjobs in this state to Howie. Maybe Pressler picks off a few because of Rounds overload and dems actually come and vote in November, never know what might happen.

  5. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.07.27

    Lynn, we have three months to make it happen! Keep shouting!

    JeniW, Adelstein's comment stands in stark contrast to the story Rounds wants us to believe. Whom do you trust more, Adelstein or Rounds?

  6. Roger Cornelius 2014.07.27

    Tim

    The Rapid City Journal, in an editorial today, is calling on all candidates to debate in Rapid City. Responses are slow but we can probably guess who won't be there.

  7. JeniW 2014.07.27

    Chad, I trust Rounds as far as I can throw him, which is not at all.

    I do not understand why Stan would call for Pressler, if was not due to wanting to support Rounds.

    Or, did Stan mean that Pressler should have listed his party of preference as "Republican?" If so, would Pressler have gained enough support at the Republican Convention to be the candidate of choice for the office of Senate?

  8. Roger Cornelius 2014.07.28

    Interesting that Stan is so certain of Rounds election that he would pay for a trip and indoctrination more than a year ago.

    That was a good find Cory.

  9. Bill Dithmer 2014.07.29

    There is nothing that can or will be done that would have any effect on this election. Anyone that thinks differently is delusional.

    All the posturing going on now is about people trying to shape their political futures, and has nothing to do with the ethics of the candidates. The candidates ethics have already been determined to be acceptable to their parties, except for the indies, who will again be in the "also ran" statistics of the news rags of SD.

    So this is how it looks to me.

    Rounds gets to go to our nations capital where he wont do a damn thing unless it will help his bottom line. He will retire from that job trying ti wrap a double digit IQ around a presidential bid.

    Kristi gets to return to DC to work on her tan.

    And double D will again get the nod for his impressive work as governor. EB5 and the mishandling of fosrter kids be damned, that decision has already been made and wont be changed.

    John Thune continues to haunt the halls of congress, and like a child molester, he tries to be in the right place at the right time for the best photo opps and news blurb talking points. Fortunately for the nation, good looks wont help his presidential bid. John reached his political zenith a couple of years ago and has been determined to be of insufishent quality to hold that office, by his own party. John has never been a leader but was broke to lead real well.

    Oh ya, 2020 makes Marty Janklow the new governor, where he will stay for one term before taking his rightful place in the US senate.

    Folks it doesnt take much smarts to write about what is going to happen is South Dakota, all you have to do is look at the past.

    The Blindman

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