A new poll (how many times have we begun a post that way in recent weeks) shows Republican Jim Talent leading Democrat Claire McCaskill 43-39 percent with fewer than five weeks to go before election day.
The poll by the Reuters news services and the pollster Zogby International was taken Sept. 25-Oct. 2. At least 600 likely voters in Missouri were surveyed. The poll's margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage points, meaning that the race remains a statistical dead heat.
The poll's other findings:
- Democrats lead in five of 10 crucial Senate battlegrounds, including three Republican-held seats in Pennsylvania, Montana and Rhode Island and in Democratic-held Maryland and New Jersey. (Dems need to a six-seat pickup to win a Senate majority).
- Besides Missouri, the Republican incumbent led in Virginia. That's George Allen.
- Senate contests in Republican-held Ohio and Tennessee were deadlocked.
Posted by Steve Kraske
How can this be!?!
"Everyone" knows that "everyone" hates Republicans, the war and that "nobody" will vote for Jim Talent.
Liars! "Everyone" knows this poll shold be 78 - 22 for Claire.
Spend more than five minutes here reading and you'll know that!
Posted by: | October 05, 2006 at 09:07 AM
GO JIM GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: tommy | October 05, 2006 at 09:10 AM
For what it's worth, I was one of those polled by Zogby, using their internet survey they e-mail me the link to...in addition to the Talent/McCaskill poll, they also asked who I voted for in the last national election, which party I thought best represented me and why, how many times a month I shopped at Wal-Mart each month, and a host of other questions.
*****
Sidebar: I'm seeing another poster using 'tommy' as their sign-on name. I'll keep mine as 'Tommy' (not that I don't appreciate tommy's enthusiasm)
Posted by: Tommy | October 05, 2006 at 09:21 AM
When I get a call or email for a "survey" I put down undecided on everything. Even though I know exactly who I am going to vote for. I'm just that way. Unless of course it was a Matt Bartle call, then I told them exactly how I felt about him. I do find it extremely hard to believe there are so many undecideds.
I am really tired of the TV ads, radio ads and soon I guess I will put a trash can next to my mailbox because that is where I will be putting the campaign trash I receive.
In the end, the Dems will pick up the House and not the Senate, although they will pick up Ohio, Penn, Tenn and Montana. So it will be as divided as ever, and that is not a good thing for the country.
Posted by: jenniferm | October 05, 2006 at 09:43 AM
"I guess I will put a trash can next to my mailbox because that is where I will be putting the campaign trash I receive."
In the interest of conserving landfill space, I encourage you to recycle! :-)
Posted by: crd | October 05, 2006 at 09:59 AM
How about I shred them and put that in my cat's liter box?
Posted by: jenniferm | October 05, 2006 at 10:02 AM
Hardly good news for Talent to only be at 43% this far out. McCaskill's within the margin and he's in the low 40s? If I were a Republican, I wouldn't crow about those numbers at all. Plus, this is a Zogby poll and when you look at his numbers across the country they simply don't match up to what other polls are showing -- Allen with an 11 point lead? Menendez up by 10? This poll looks bunky at best. Any chance one of our dear Star reporters can get us the actual party breakdowns in the sample for this poll? My guess is Zogby's got turnout tilted toward the GOP AND he's got too many "undecideds" in there as well.
Posted by: LarrytheScrabbleGuy | October 05, 2006 at 10:04 AM
Larry, are you excited about Claire's numbers? 39%? Encumbant or not... Everything you hear in the news is Anti-Republican lately, and yet, Claire still can't pull ahead. Like the first comment stated, you would think that Claire should have a big lead, not trailing with one month to go. I think both parties have to be upset about the polls.
Posted by: Chris | October 05, 2006 at 10:33 AM
Rasmussen has it McCaskill45%/Talent 46%. Tight race we've got here. Look, Talent is the incumbent, which is a tough egg to crack. In 2000, he lost to Holden by 21,000 votes. In 2004, he beat Carnahan by 20,000 votes. And by the looks of all the polls, this is going to go down to the wire.
Posted by: Dickeylee | October 05, 2006 at 10:42 AM
I'm not surprised that this race is tied. Yes, its trouble for Talent, the incumbent, and yes, its trouble for McCaskill in an anti-republican year. McCaskill is a known commodity to the voters and Talent is bland enough not to offend along the likes of Santorum, Burns, Harris (in Florida). So it doesn't surprise me one bit.
I don't agree with Talent on A LOT of issues so I won't be voting for him. Though McCaskill is a flawed candidate I consider her the lesser of two evils. They both will follow the party line in voting, I know that.
Posted by: jenniferm | October 05, 2006 at 10:49 AM
It will be great to see Santorum go. It's also hard to believe that George Macaca Allen has any lead at all. Which part of RACIST do the voters in his state not understand?
As for Talent, most incumbents have pulled way ahead by this time in a race. It is way too close to November 7 for him to still be in a dead heat with Claire. So things look better for her than for him.
Posted by: | October 05, 2006 at 10:57 AM
GO JIM!!!!!
Posted by: plattecohighschooler | October 05, 2006 at 03:33 PM
simple task. Rate government as a whole. If you like what the government has done siince the last election, by all means votee for the encumbent. If you don't like what government has done since the last election, vote against ALL encumbents regardleess of party.
Throw them out. Throw them all out!
TATBO!
Posted by: jack | October 05, 2006 at 04:26 PM
AT THIS TIME IN OUR COUNTRY THERE IS VIRTUALLY NOTHING THE REPUBLICANS COULD DO
-- NOT RECORD TRADE DEFICITS, RECORD BUDGET DEFICITS, A RISE IN UNINSURED AMERICANS, A RISE IN POVERTY, LOWER MIDDLE CLASS WAGES/BUYING POWER, ATTACKING TWO SOVEREIGN COUNTRIES, LETTING THE MAN RESPONSIBLE FOR 9/11 GO FREE TO PLOT AGAIN, CAUSING THE DEATHS OF 100,000 AFGHANS, IRAQI'S, AMERICANS, AND OTHERS, SEX SCANDALS, OUTING CIA AGENTS, (AND THAT'S JUST A DROP IN THE BARREL)--
TO GET WHITE AMERICA TO NOT VOTE FOR THEM (PLUS A FEW CONFUSED MINORITIES). WE ARE JUST GETTING BACK TO WHERE THE MARKET AND GAS PRICES WERE WHEN CLINTON LEFT OFFICE.
THERE IS SOMETHING FOUL GOING ON IN THIS DEMOCRACY. I HAVE THOUGHT SO SINCE THE SHOCKING REPUBLICAN RESPONSE TO BILL CLINTON'S FIRST INAUGURATION ADDRESS, SINCE AN AVERAGE JOE LIKE GEORGE BUSH BEAT A MAN LIKE AL GORE AFTER HIS ADMINISTRATIONS DOMESTIC PERFORMANCE DURING THE 1990'S, SINCE DUBYA BEAT A MAN LIKE JOHN KERRY AFTER HIS DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN PERFORMANCE OF THE FIRST 4 YEARS OF HIS PRESIDENCY.
AND I WILL WATCH WHITE AMERICA VOTE FOR REPUBLICANS EVEN WITH BILLIONS OF THEIR HARD-EARNED MONEY BEING STOLEN RIGHT BEFORE THEIR EYES, EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE CLEARLY SEEN HOW DANGEROUS ONE-PARTY RULE CAN BE ON OUR CIVIL LIBERTIES. THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS GOING WRONG WITH THIS ADMINISTRATION AND PARTY. YET THEY DEFEND AND VOTE REPUBLICAN BECAUSE IT HAS BECOME A BRAND IDENTITY, AND DEMOCRATS OR LIBERALS OR LEFTISTS HAVE BECOME A STIGMATIZED LABEL IN THEIR MINDS. IT IS PROPOGANDA AT ITS UNFORTUNATE BEST. AND ITS ALL STARTING TO REMIND ME OF THE NAZI'S.
SO, IN SHORT, NO -UNFORTUNATELY, THERE ARE VERY FEW OPEN MINDED CLEAR THINKING VOTERS OUT THERE.
Posted by: Engawyer | October 05, 2006 at 04:56 PM
I WANT TO ASK MY REPUBLICAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS OUT THERE AN HONEST QUESTION OR TWO.
AM I JUST PLAIN TRIPPIN? WAY TOO PESSIMISTIC IN MY VIEWS REGARDING THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE PARTIES?
WHY ARE YOU A REPUBLICAN?
WHY DIDN'T YOU VOTE FOR AL GORE IN 2000, AFTER THE 1990'S?
WHY DIDN'T YOU VOTE FOR A VIETNAM WAR VOLUNTEER AND RHODES SCHOLAR LIKE KERRY IN 2004, INSTEAD OF SOMEONE OF AVERAGE INTELLECT LIKE YOU AND I, AND WHO AVOIDED SERVICE IN THE WAR BY VOLUNTEERING TO ENLIST IN THE NATIONAL GUARD AT THAT TIME?
WHY ARE YOU STILL SUPPORTIVE OF THIS GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATION AFTER THEY HAVE GIVEN YOU THE BIGGEST GOVERNMENT, BUDGET DEFICIT, AND TRADE DEFICIT, IN AMERICAN HISTORY?
WHAT WOULD IT TAKE FOR YOU TO NOT VOTE REPUBLICAN?
Posted by: Engawyer | October 05, 2006 at 05:05 PM
At this time for a gop person to be tied or slightly in the lead is great with everything that has been floated. Go Jim!!!
Posted by: | October 05, 2006 at 05:19 PM
These polls are a propaganda plot to make us think it is close just so when they rig the machines for Talent we won't go hog wild and revolt. These people are so hated now that even the Republicans I know are mad now. They know this guy has lied about everything. There is no way America can be this ignorant. Not everybody watches Fox.
INCREDIBLE! FOX 'NEWS' LABELS FOLEY AS DEM DURING O'REILLY FACTOR!
Three Different Video Cutaways, 15 Seconds or More Each, Credit Disgraced REPUBLICAN Congressman as Being a Florida DEMOCRAT!
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=3570
Posted by: John Evans | October 05, 2006 at 05:34 PM
En,
How about a spine to stand up?
And some basic family values (don't hold up Foley as an example. He isn't a representative of all Republicans, just like Clinton isn't a sample of all Dems).
Posted by: plattecohighschooler | October 05, 2006 at 06:12 PM
"These polls are a propaganda plot"
So, Reuters and Zogby are in on it too, eh??
Posted by: Ward | October 05, 2006 at 06:26 PM
lol they are only propoganda when a gop is ahead, if Claire was up by 4 they would be indicative of the race.
Posted by: | October 05, 2006 at 07:37 PM
Good point.
Posted by: plattecohighschooler | October 05, 2006 at 09:35 PM
Its not propaganda.... its business.
Posted by: UMKCStudent | October 05, 2006 at 09:39 PM
DON'T GET ME WRONG, I LOVE EVERYONE EQUALLY. BUT I HAVE SAID FOR 6 YEARS NOW THAT ITS ALL ABOUT RACE. THAT'S THE ONLY WAY I CAN HONESTLY EXPLAIN THE RESULTS OF THESE PAST ELECTIONS AND THE HATE TOWARDS AMBIGUOUS LABELS THAT I SEE AND HEAR EVERYDAY COMING FROM THE GOP AND ITS SUPPORTERS.
A LARGE RACIST SECTOR OF WHITE AMERICA VOTES REPUBLICAN BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE THAT IS WHERE THEY BELONG. IT IS POWER GRAB. THEY VOTE THAT WAY TO MAINTAIN WHAT THEY PERCEIVE TO BE THE STATUS QUO. THEY BELIEVE THAT THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IS THE PARTY OF BLACKS, HOMOSEXUALS, TREE-HUGGERS, HISPANICS, WELFARE RECIPIENTS, AND THOSE OF THEM THAT ARE SUPPORTED BY THESE PEOPLE THAT THEY LOOK DOWN UPON.
THE HISTORY OF AMERICA IS NOT TOO FAR REMOVED FROM THEIR HEARTS.
THIS IS WHAT IS GOING ON IN THIS COUNTRY RIGHT NOW.
SOON EVERYONE WILL FIGURE THAT OUT. THOUGH, I PRAY THAT I AM WRONG.
THAT SAID, I AM SURE THERE IS A MIDDLE FEW (SAY 20%) WHO DO VOTE THE ISSUES, AS I DO.
Posted by: Engawyer | October 06, 2006 at 12:21 AM
AS AN EXTREME EXAMPLE, I WOULD POSIT THAT
IF HILLARY CLINTON RAN FOR PRESIDENT AS A REPUBLICAN AGAINST RONALD REAGAN, WHO RAN AS A DEMOCRAT, 99% OF REPUBLICANS WOULD VOTE FOR HILLARY CLINTON.
Posted by: Engawyer | October 06, 2006 at 12:23 AM
thats where eng is wrong, becasue 99% of of gop can't stand hillary clinton whether she called herself anything. I will try to find the link to the unscientific polls ran by several newspapers in se mo. It came up horrible for hillary....Nope en--gotta disagree, but the woman has too much not to like to vote for her.
Posted by: | October 06, 2006 at 01:40 AM