Josh Goodman is a former staff writer for GOVERNING..
E-mail: mailbox@governing.comTwitter: @governing
The Success of Steve Francis 2.0
Topic: The San Diego mayoral race
Results: Incumbent Jerry Sanders 42%, businessman Steve Francis 35%, others 8%, undecided 15%
Analysis: The cross tabs are what make this poll really fascinating. But, to understand why, you have to remember the campaign Francis ran in his third-place mayoral bid in 2005. From a scathing editorial in the Union-Tribune :
Clearly, Francis believes voters have forgotten it was he who sought and received the endorsement of the Republican Party in his 2005 campaign, in which he portrayed himself as a standard-issue conservative, pro-business, tax-cutting, card-carrying Republican who only met with labor groups as "a courtesy" and who did not even return a campaign questionnaire from the Sierra Club. Now he's an "independent" who not only promotes his endorsement by labor unions but also that of the Sierra Club.
The interesting thing is that Steve Francis 2.0 really is catching on with Democrats. Sanders has a 20-point lead among Republicans (he's been endorsed by the G.O.P. this time), but only a one-point lead among Democrats. Francis is benefiting from being the lone strong anti-Sanders candidate in the nominally non-partisan race. If no one gets to 50% in the June 3 primary, the top two candidates will face off in a November runoff.
Twitter: @governing
GOVERNING Politics is the place for news and analysis on campaigns and elections. If there's a ballot measure in California, a legislative election in Alabama, a mayoral election in Anchorage or a governor's race in Rhode Island, GOVERNING Politics probably is writing about it. We love everything about state and local politics, from polls and campaign ads to policy debates and demographic trends.
Latest From Politics
- How Weak is the Republican Party in the Most Democratic States?
- Looking Back at Howard Dean's 50-State Strategy
- Are States Deepening the Nation's Red-Blue Divide?
- How Successful Are Lieutenant Governors Seeking the Governorship?
- Oregon May Be 1st with Automatic Voter Registration
Categories
- Ballot Measures
- Economic & Fiscal Issues
- Election Results
- Governors
- Legislatures
- Local Offices
- Mayors
- Media and Advertising
- National Politics
- Parties & Interest Groups
- Political Map
- Polls
- Redistricting & Reapportionment
- Social Issues
- State Offices
- Voting Process & Voting Rules
Twitter
Facebook
LinkedIn
YouTube
Flickr
RSS
© 2011 e.Republic, Inc. All Rights reserved. |