Angle's Voters Want Different Nominee
A piece in the Las-Vegas Review Journal suggests that few of the voters in Nevada are happy with their U.S. Senate nominees:
Still, the Mason-Dixon poll shows Angle has a way to go to shore up her base of GOP support and attract conservative Democrats who do not like Reid and non-partisan voters she will need to win.
Some 68 percent of those surveyed said they would have preferred if a candidate other than Angle had won the GOP primary. Among them were 71 percent of Republicans, 71 percent of nonpartisans and 64 percent Democrats. Among Angle voters, 66 percent said they would have preferred another GOP nominee, as would have 68 percent of Reid voters and 79 percent of those in neither camp.
"It means she hasn't closed the deal to get all Republicans behind her," said Eric Herzik, political science professor at the University of Nevada, Reno. "But it's good news for Angle that two-thirds of those who really aren't wild about her are still willing to vote for her" to get rid of Reid.
But it's those 79 percent who are in neither camp that Angle must win over, he said.
Reid has similar problems but to a lesser degree.
Some 49 percent said they would have preferred another Democrat nominee over Reid, including 28 percent from his party, 66 percent of Republicans and 62 percent of the undecided or those aligned with other candidates.
Among Reid voters, 18 percent preferred another nominee, 78 percent of Angle voters did not want him on the ballot as well as 58 percent of those who do not like Angle or Reid.
"It's not a strong endorsement of Harry Reid, but it's better than what Sharron Angle has," Herzik said. "A centrist Republican, I think, would be winning this race against Harry Reid."
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