Document Actions
Sunday: Iowa-rama
posted at 2007-12-30 11:27 | Last modified 2007-12-30 15:59
It’s raining poll numbers...and just four days out from the Iowa caucuses, all those numbers still aren’t much help.
Poll 1
A new McClatchy-MSNBC/MasonDixon poll puts Edwards up a little, with 24 to Clinton’s 23 and Obama’s 22 (all within the MOE, of course). More interesting, as McClatchy’s Steven Thomma points out, are the trends in the poll – Edwards has picked three points over the holidays, while Obama dropped 3 and Clinton dropped 4. On the GOP side, Huckabee’s off 9 from his early December boom, while Romney’s massive ad campaign has persuaded some of his prodigal supporters to come home.
Thomma’s story is as good an analysis of “too close to call” as you’re likely to find. And if you want to see the McClatchy-MSNBC crosstabs, Dems are here and Republicans are here.
Poll 2
A new Reuters-CSPAN/Zogby poll (a bigger poll with a smaller MOE) finds a different spread for the Dems – Clinton 31, Obama 27, Edwards 24 – but on the GOP side, it’s the same dead heat with Huckabee at 29 to Romney’s 28.
You can see the Zogby numbers here, but as usual, not the crosstabs, though Zogby talks about a few of them.
Round-up
- The AP’s Libby Quaid says voters in Iowa and nationwide still haven’t made up their minds.
- But on the ground in Iowa, the N&O’s Rob Christensen says voters there know what they’re looking for.
- The
N&O’s Ryan Teague BeckwithChar-O's Jim Morrill is also freezing his Dome off in the Hawkeye State. You can follow him following Edwards here. - McClatchy’s Lisa Zagarolli peeks behind the curtains of the Edwards campaign.
- The AP’s Glen Johnson has an interesting look at Romney’s “candor gap.”
Deer in the headlights?
Huckabee was dancing as fast as he could this morning on Meet the Press. He started out on the defensive, and it only got worse as Tim Russert pinned him down on the issues that have dogged him on the campaign trail, like immigration, abortion, taxes, and homosexuality.
This could have been Huckabee’s last, best chance to counter Romney’s massive attack-ad machine - Romney's been outspending Huckabee 20 to 1 - but on balance, I don’t think this morning's appearance worked out to Huck's benefit. See what you think - you can watch it here after 1PM Sunday.
Closer to home
Embattled Rep. Thomas Wright has a court date Monday morning, which ought to be a walk in the park compared to his House Ethics hearing Thursday. Wilmington’s Patrick Gannon has a preview.
Greensboro’s Mark Binker writes about the end-of-year money-grubbing fundraising in the US Senate race. On his blog, he links to the latest opinions released by the State Ethics Commission. These opinions are always redacted to protect the identity of the official who sought the guidance in the first place, but Binker wants you to weigh in if you’ve got a guess. Hmmmm…
Winston-Salem’s James Romoser has a less-than-flattering wrap-up of state politics in 2007, and a look ahead at what’s likely to matter to voters in 2008.
Asheville’s Jordan Schrader looks back at the year from a WNC perspective here.
Comments? Drop me a line.
