Posted on 08/31/2006 3:29:27 AM PDT by NautiNurse
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris holds a double-digit lead over her three opponents in the Republican race for the U.S. Senate nomination in Florida's Sept. 5 primary election, a new poll released Thursday showed.
Harris, who is serving her second term in Congress from a district representing the Sarasota area, was favored by 38 percent of 317 likely Republican voters in a random telephone survey taken between Aug. 23-28 by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. The survey reported a margin of error of plus or minus 5.5 percentage points.
William McBride, a 34-year-old Windermere attorney, was supported by 22 percent, while retired Navy admiral LeRoy Collins Jr., of Tampa was backed by 11 percent and Peter Monroe, a real estate developer from Safety Harbor, received 3 percent.
The winner of the GOP primary will face incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Melbourne, in the Nov. 7 general election.
A fourth of the likely Republican voters questioned said they were still undecided and nearly a half, 45 percent, said they might change their minds by election day - including a third of those who said they presently favored Harris.
"If Rep. Harris had only one opponent she might be in deep trouble," said Peter Brown, assistant polling director for Quinnipiac. "But having three candidates splitting the anti-Harris vote is a major plus for her."
Harris was rated favorably by 36 percent while 25 percent viewed her unfavorably and another 22 percent said they had mixed opinions about the former Florida secretary of state, who gained notoriety for her role in the 2000 presidential election recount.
Her opponents are so poorly known by most voters that none were rated favorably by more than 18 percent of the respondents.
Like pigs in hog heaven.
You may be right, but he has a better chance of beating you (and Nelson) than Katherine Harris has.
For me, the conscience issue boils down to this: who would my conscience support? Nelson or McBride?
Harris is not among the choices.
The polling is bought and brought to you by the same people that have brought you all of the negative press. Leftists press and polling exists for one reason, and it is not pro Conservative.
LLS
When the general election choices are Harris and Nelson, who do you vote for?
Harris of course. But she would get blown away. It would be ugly.
Glad to know you will vote for Harris rather than Nelson November 7.
Goes to show the total disconnect of the RNC from the true conservatives in the United States.
I don't want to believe that is the case. However, my campaign contributions have gone directly to Katherine Harris rather than the RNC this time.
I meant none of the candidates other than McBride. McBride's only 5 points behind in the poll. That's striking distance.
As if it is just leftwing polling showing this. All polling is showing diasterous results. Skepticism of the media is a good thing, denying reality is not. Nelson is beatable, but not with the way Harris campaign has gone down. She's a 1 to a 100 shot.
If you don't vote for a candidate that is more conservative than Nelson [such as K.H.], you might as well vote for Nelson.
Thread after thread, post after post you keep saying she can't win over and over again. What is the point of your mantra?
Actually I have supported Harris until the last few months when it has become painfully obvious to anyone with a pulse that she has no chance. I think she would make a great Senator. Unfortunately Harris just keeps digging a deeper and deeper hole. If Harris was within 20 points of Nelson, I would still be supporting her. But when she drops down to 25 points behind, then 35 points behind, and now 43 points behind it is painful to watch. She does not even have strong support among GOP voters. She is hated by Democrat voters and doesn't have any support from independant voters. What's the point of running if you don't have a shot?
I Harris does beat Nelson, will you change your screen name?
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