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Alaska Gov. Palin would handle Sen. Stevens in primary, poll shows |
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By Aaron Blake
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Posted: 09/25/07 07:39 PM [ET] |
Popular new Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) leads longtime Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) 56-32 in a primary match-up, according to newly released poll data from the economically conservative Club for Growth.
The poll surveyed 300 likely primary voters on July 15, prior to revelations this month that the FBI has been secretly taping Stevens’s phone calls as a part of its investigation into the senator.
The poll, conducted by Basswood Research, showed that 89 percent had a favorable opinion of Palin, who was elected governor in November. Her unfavorable rating was just 4 percent.
Palin defeated another longtime state GOP figure, Gov. Frank Murkowski (R), in the primary last year, but there has been no indication that she is considering a similar bid against Stevens.
She has recently called for Stevens’s son, former state Sen. Ben Stevens (R), to resign his position as a Republican National Committeeman and called on the elder Stevens to explain himself to constituents in light of the investigation into remodeling work done on his home.
The Club for Growth has waged a campaign against Stevens for his use of legislative earmarks to bring federal funds back to his home state.
Stevens’s campaign could not immediately be reached for comment. |
