Cal GOP Senate Race Tightens
A new poll which shows Carly Fiorina holding a slight lead over Tom Campbell in the California GOP Senate race has prompted a fresh war of words between the two campaigns.
A new poll by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) has prompted a fresh war of words between the Republican campaigns of Tom Campbell and Carly Fiorina.
The poll shows Carly Fiorina leading Tom Campbell, 25% to 23%, although within the five point margin of error. The last PPIC poll, taken in March, showed a similar Fiorina lead (24%-23%).
Fiorina’s campaign capitalized on this poll by sending it out with a press release. In a statement released by Fiorina campaign spokesperson Julie Sunderland, it was claimed that Tom Campbell’s campaign had reached its limit in popular support:
“This poll also demonstrates that former Congressman Campbell’s high watermark of support for his candidacy has come and gone … Generally speaking, once a candidate falls behind, he never retakes the lead. Tom Campbell’s standing with voters is declining and Carly’s is growing. It smells like a trend that is moving in Carly’s favor.”
Campbell’s campaign hammered back, arguing that the trend of polls across several polling firms indicate that the trend is moving in their direction:
Furthermore, the Campbell campaign argued that the PPIC still places Campbell as the better candidate against Democratic incumbent Sen. Barbara Boxer. The PPIC poll shows Boxer leading Campbell by only six points, while Boxer would beat Fiorina by nine points in a hypothetical matchup.
“After millions in third party attacks on Tom Campbell, Carly Fiorina has gained no ground in the only poll that ever shows her tied with Tom Campbell, and she has slipped below 40 percent against Senator Boxer,” Campbell spokesperson James Fisfis told FrumForum.
On the air and in advertising, Campbell’s campaign has continued slamming Fiorina, through an ad, “Carly Fiorina: the Myth”, and the “Book on Carly”, a continuing series of quotes from books which portray the former Hewlett-Packard CEO in a bad light. Fiorina, on the other hand, hasn’t fired a direct ad salvo at Tom Campbell since the infamous ‘Demon Sheep’ commercial.
While the quarter’s fundraising numbers have not yet been released, the Campbell campaign did decide to pull their advertising from the air this week, in what could be an indication of the campaign’s financial situation. But it could also be a reflection of the ferocity in the all-out airwave brawl that’s currently underway by well-funded GOP gubernatorial candidates Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner. With Whitman and Poizner ads ubiquitous, Campbell has told the L.A. Times that the decision to pull ads was a tactical move, not one forced by weak campaign finances.
The point that is indisputable is that this race will be competitive until the primary elections two and half weeks from now. With the California GOP Gubernatorial race tightening, June 8th will be an exciting day for anyone looking for trends within the Republican Party.
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