The day before Gov. Mike Pence was set to announce his re-election, a new poll commissioned by his new-found nemeses claims he's in big trouble nearly 16 months ahead of next year's general election. A poll conducted by long-time Daniels pollster Christine Matthews on behalf of businessman Bill Oesterle claims 54% of the state's voters favor electing a new governor over re-electing Pence, who has a 16 point net negative disapproval rating according to the poll.
Matched against two leading Democratic candidates for governor, former House Speaker John Gregg and state education Supt. Glenda Ritz, Pence faces a tough re-election odds. Gregg leads Pence by one point and is tied with Ritz according to the poll, which attributes Pence's supposed poor handling over Indiana's RFRA law and education issues as reasons for his poor standing with the public. The poll claims 54% of the state's voters favor adding non-discrimination language to the state's civil rights laws to protect gays and transgender persons from discrimination.
None of the news results I've read indicate how Oesterle, who has been mentioned as a potential candidate for governor, paid for this poll. Has he formed a political action committee or an exploratory committee to run for governor? If he's trying to influence next year's gubernatorial campaign, doesn't he have a legal obligation to do that? I would be curious to see how well Oesterle's poll numbers would fare, particularly if the news media actually did real investigative journalism about the business practices of Angie's List, the company he co-founded that has never turned a profit in its nearly two decades of existence despite receiving tens of millions of dollars in public subsidies courtesy of former Gov. Mitch Daniels and Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard.
20 comments:
NWI Times noted Oesterle paid for the poll: http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elections/poll-finds-hoosiers-want-new-governor/article_0bbc71c8-e91d-5838-948b-2b72fab2e1f9.html
Though obviously the pollster matters more than the sponsor and Christine Matthews is as good as they get among Republicans.
Keep up the good work. Is there anything about Mr. Oesterle that could seriously damage him in a primary?
Pence maybe vulnerable but that does not mean Oesterle would win a Republican primary let alone defeat Gregg or Ritz. Both Gregg and Ritz have voter recognition (could be good or bad) Oesterle has virtually none in the state.
Whew... Oesterle's ego may be more widespread than any real political support needed to attain the governor's chair. I am one voter who will never again cast a ballot for Mike Pence for any office and I am a voter who would absolutely never vote for Bill Oesterle- a corporate welfare devotee to the max. By what critical thought process does this guy think he is governor material.. a guy who co-founded Angie's List which is a company "that has never turned a profit in its nearly two decades of existence despite receiving tens of millions of dollars in public subsidies courtesy of former Gov. Mitch Daniels and Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard"???
Uh, I don't think so Bill, I don't think so.
Mitch paid for it.
Did Oesterle ever explain why he broke down crying at a Washington Township Lincoln Day Dinner?
Funny..."real investigative journalism"... non-existent in a Gannett controlled media world. When every newspaper in Indianapolis is at a third grade reading level, I am not holding my breath as to top notch investigative journalism in this two-bit town.
I think Gregg will win this time. He came close to winning last time. But now Pence has some real negatives. Every race depends on those few swing voters in the middle, right? The base always votes for their party. But the ones on the fence, they turn elections. And they have turned against Pence in substantial numbers. Pence never used to have negatives like he has now, and not just in Oesterle's poll. So I predict Pence will win his primary, but lose the general election to Gregg. I personally call myself Independent. I used to vote for Ballard and Mitch Daniels and I didn't vote for Obama. But I will vote for Hogsett this time, and I will vote for Gregg. Because I think Hogsett will try to rein in some of the corruption. And I just don't like Pence after finding out what he thinks of gays. I guess I join a growing crowd of conservative Hoosiers that think we need to protect them with nondiscrimination laws, and I just think Pence showed us that he will never support these basic rights. Anyway, not the only issue, but I do think its an issue many think is upon us now, and Pence is just on the wrong side of it. I think it will cost him the election. And I think Mitch Daniels was right when he said Republicans need to set aside these social issues and be more inclusive. If Republicans are only going to field these really conservative Christian type candidates who hate gays they're going to lose a lot of people like me and others who no longer hate gays and want more inclusion in the party. This time I'll probably vote for the Democrats. Pence ought to change. He's out of step.
When did the crying incident occur? I think Oesterle told Jim "Shill" Shella that he probably won't run for Guv. So if he won't run who is he going to back against Pence?
According to the Nuvo article there are some polling results that are not being released. What is being hidden? Let us stay on this.
Perfect pair Oesterle and the Indianapolis Star which from now until election will run a negative daily about Pence. That is how they work to taint the publics mindset. I'll take Pence, flaws and all, over any Democrat which if you look at any Democratic state or city that has been run by Democrats for 90 percent of the time is a failed enterprise. Democrats win, mess it up and then the Republicans have to clean it up.
:Per anonymous "Pence after finding out what he thinks of gays. I guess I join a growing crowd of conservative Hoosiers that think we need to protect them with nondiscrimination laws, and I just think Pence showed us that he will never support these basic rights. Anyway, not the only issue, but I do think its an issue"
Really? You did actually find out his opinion of gays and that he doesn't agree with discrimination but is against the insistence of them to call their proclivities marriage.....and to destroy the meaning of marriage that has been defined for thousands of years. He said zero that was hateful to them.
What you really found out is that gay activists are a whiney bunch that are glad to use intimidation and scare tactics to have their way and they will work to destroy anyone in their march when they could have asked for civil unions rather than marriage...Really you don't want us to chuckle when a man is called a wife and a woman a husband...I don't hate them, I don't want them to be shunned, I don't care what the do but leave us out of it and quit demanding we agree and change our laws. I would like to see a referendum on this but that won't happen because most people would say no to marriage and their only way to win on this is to railroad us using courts.
The Governor has played the prevent defense & not pushed a big agenda; following Mitch was going to be very difficult. Still, I think going big can only help. Personally, I'd like the governor to pitch (a) eliminating the income tax & moving to a TN-like consumption tax, (b) universal school vouchers, & (c) marijuana decriminalization. All 3 mean less government encroachment in Hoosiers' lives.
"Because I think Hogsett will try to rein in some of the corruption"
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!
Hogsett is who brushed the corruption under the rug, save for some low hanging fruit that was too obvious to pass up.
As a long time observer and active voter participant in the political process whose eyes are opened about that self-interest trumps everything for most all Democrat and Republican politicos locally and statewide, it is my contention Mr. Pence throughout his career enjoyed more of a soft Hoosier support rather than being one of its beloved and "hard core supported" politicians. The reason for this, again IMHO, is that Mr. Pence has a very soft Conservative philosophical spine. Oh, he knows how to spout phrases, Conservative ideas, and how to quote the Founders now and then, but Mr. Pence is in reality a RINO Republican bent more toward phony "trade missions to Asia" than to follow Conservatism in his offensives to ever greater political office. I don't care how nice a guy Mr. Pence may be or how full or humor and fun this wooden stump is alleged, he exudes less than zero warmth and likability to most voters at most times. As Mr. Warren et al. work to knock off Mr. Pence in Saul Alinsky-style, picking off a softly supported politician isn't all that much of an accomplishment.
I am so darn tired of the candidates given to us voters on a tarnished tin platter by insider Democrat and Republican backroom deal makers...but this is why the highly corrupt cling to the slating system. I am so tired of having to choose between the lesser of two sub-par candidates who are a poor fit for the people but who are excellently tailored for the pay-to-play crowd (can you say "Hogsett and Brewer"?). Why can't the Hoosier GOP ever give us a good candidate and instead force us to do what one of the commenters on here mentions, in essence, taking the least worst ("Pence with all his flaws over a Democrat")"
I've learned to never ever vote again for a Democrat (they lie, too, to obtain election) but I have a very difficult time voting any more for establishment RINO "R's". Look at Greg Ballard whose "Tin Standard" is corruption and pathological lying and whining to lo-info, faux media like Abdul.
Instead of the GOP "giving" us candidates... why are the citizens not allowed to vote for all potentials in an open primary in Marion County? The answer, of course, is an open primary system could prevent chess pieces being placed by political hatchets who run the townships like personal fiefdoms. Open primaries are a start at taking back the political system corrupt attorneys use to their advantage and to the advantage of their corporate "clients".
And I must agree completely with Sir Hailstone in his retort to the commenter who would try to have us believe that Hogsett will try to rein in the corruption. WHAT??? Are you kidding us? it was Hogsett who willingly turned a blind eye to the blatant corruption of both Democrats and Republicans and who instead went after the weakest links with little political cover... yea, like a real man would do... go after that weak. That's Hogsett's performance in a nutshell. He went after the weak while allowing the public safety to be further damaged by people like Ballard, DB, BG, and MMA, etc.
Anyone poll Wall Street about CEO vulnerability?
Anon 7:19, we DO have open primaries in Indiana, not closed ones. In fact, we taxpayers foot the bill for them even though they're INTRAparty contests.
LamLawIndy: Thanks for the correction. I apologize for not making myself clear and mudding up my thoughts. I blew it. My intention was to enter commentary regarding being pro-abolishment of party slating that currently selects candidates and instead to allow the primaries (and thus the people) to elect Party candidates. It is nigh impossible for a candidate to garner votes unless they are on their respective party tickets.
"we DO have open primaries in Indiana"
Actually - aren't our primaries officially considered "closed" primaries. You declare your party "membership" at the polling station when you pick a Democrat or Republican ballot. Some states such as Louisiana come to mind where they have a "wide open" primary - candidates for all parties appear on the same ballot, its more of a "general election lite" as I understand it.
Anyone is free to place their name on the ballot for a primary by filing at the County Clerk's office.
The slating process that 3:40 PM speaks of only occurs in Marion and maybe Lake County on the D side (the R side is still largely irrelevant in Lake County). AFAIK, no other county in the state does a slating process. Modern slating in Marion County is nothing more than a fundraiser for the county party. That's all it is. Side effect of slating is getting about 400-500 primary votes from the Precinct Committeemen, Vice-Precinct Committeemen and the Mummy Dummies who turn out to support the slate. In a low turnout primary, 500 votes can be a big swing in a countywide primary. Those who intend to "buck the slate" have their work cut out for them - but as recent history shows with Christine Scales, the slate can be defeated. She had to work her tookus off even with the power of incumbency, but she got it done.
Post a Comment