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Kerry leads in Wisconsin polls
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- Kerry leads in Wisconsin polls (February 11, 2004)
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by y Peterson
Wednesday, February 11, 2004
Recent polls show Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., is riding a wave of support as he heads into the Wisconsin primary, according to the latest poll taken by Market Shares Corp. for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and WTMJ-TV.
Forty-five percent of likely voters in the Wisconsin Democratic primary say they back Kerry, more than all the supporters for the other three major candidates combined.
Although Gen. Wesley Clark pulled out of the presidential race at press time, he received 13 percent of statewide support in the poll. He was followed by former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean with 12 percent and Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., with 9 percent. Seventeen percent of voters said they were still currently undecided.
One in three Wisconsin voters polled said they would not like to see Dean win the nomination. One in six voters said the same thing of Clark.
The results reveal the large role electability is playing in this year’s primary run. Sixty-seven percent of likely voters said Kerry’s chances of defeating Bush this fall were good or excellent. While the majority of Kerry supporters cited the ability to beat Bush as most important, the majority of supporters in the other three camps pointed instead to a candidate’s stance on the issues.
“We have the strongest candidate that is the best challenge to George Bush,” Don Eggert, co-chair of Students for Kerry, said. “Electability, I think, is justifiably an important issue.”
Eggert said because a significant faction of Americans want Bush out of office, electability has become a bigger and more legitimate issue than in other years.
“People realize the advantage the Republicans have because they have an incumbent and an incredible amount of money. People just understand that four more years under George Bush means we are going to a scary place,” Eggert said.
Wisconsin lawmakers U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., and U.S. Reps. David Obey, D-Wausau, and Ron Kind, D-La Crosse, formally endorsed Kerry Tuesday.
“I am honored to receive the support of such respected Wisconsin leaders in my candidacy for president. As Democrats we are unified in the fight to beat George Bush and are working together to build a safer, stronger and more secure America,” Kerry said in a press statement.
Although Kerry is yet to campaign here, all of the other major candidates have visited Wisconsin over the weekend to win voters. The polls indicate that Kerry’s competition have an uphill battle in Wisconsin a week before the state’s primary Feb. 17.
Adam Diederich, co-chair of Students for Clark, feels that despite his withdrawal, Clark was an important player in the Democratic race and added to the overall caliber of the contenders.
Because he entered the race later than other candidates, Diederich thinks Clark did not have sufficient campaign organization, which ultimately hurt him in the end.
“Above all, it shows he got into the race too late. I definitely still think he was the best candidate,” Diederich said, adding he believes Clark is a “serious contender” for the vice president bid.
Because of their similar demographics, Diederich thinks many of Clark’s supporters will now opt to back Edwards.
