A “push-poll” is a poll paid for by supporters of a candidate that is not meant to measure how those polls feel, but merely to spread false rumors about a candidate. An example of a “push-poll” would include several typical questions about candidates and would then ask “If you were to learn that So-and-So was arrested for child rape 10 years ago but had the charges dropped by bribing the DA, would you be more or less likely to support him?”
By “push-poll” you may have meant a poll with such biased questions that lead to a certain result, but that does not appear to be the caes here, since the pollster, Survey USA, is one of the most repspected independent pollsters in the nation and would not ruin its reputation by asking biased questions.
And, more to the point, Chuck DeVore has been out of the running in every primary poll taken since the day that Campbell switched from the gubernatorial to the Senate race, so it would hardly be worth it to have a 10th poll showing him with no chance of winning. If indeed there is a massive conspiracy between SUSA and the Fiorina campaign, it would be to dishearten Campbell’s supporters.
Actually, I meant that the ‘leak’ of anticipated results was in the nature of a push poll and creating the ‘predicted’ result, as the last news I had was that DeVore was actually (slowly) gaining. I had not heard about the Palin endorsement, which probably has had the dramatic results found in the poll.
As one of the fools who voted for Ahnuld’s so-called electability instead of McClintock’s competence & conservatism, I understand the ambivalence many FReepers have about this poll. However, nobody but Campbell seems to like Campbell, freeing DeVore from being “just a vote for the RINO.” Sometimes voting your conscience is the right thing to do.