| To: |
Meg Whitman for Governor |
| From: |
John McLaughlin & Stuart Polk |
| Re: |
Polling Analysis – Whitman’s Primary Lead Grows/Is the Best Republican Candidate to Beat Brown |
| Date: |
January 28, 2010 |
Since entering the race, Meg Whitman has been building momentum and is now the clear front-runner in the Republican primary with a big lead. At this time, Meg Whitman appears to be the only Republican who can beat Jerry Brown. Recent independent media polls confirm Meg Whitman’s growing support among Republican primary and general election voters.
With Tom Campbell’s departure to the U.S. Senate race, Meg Whitman’s lead has increased. Republicans have started to unify their support behind Meg Whitman.
The latest independent media polls validate Meg Whitman’s growing voter support. The Public Policy Institute of California’s poll also shows Campbell’s departure from the governor’s race benefited Meg Whitman, who increased her lead over Steve Poizner to a decisive 30-point lead. Clearly, Steve Poizner’s numbers are stagnant while Meg Whitman’s popularity continues to grow.
Over the past year, Meg Whitman has become the best known and most popular candidate in the primary for Governor. Four in five (79%) Republican primary voters recognize her name. Her favorable rating has increased by 25-points to 41%. Conversely, Steve Poizner remains relatively unknown and his favorables are flat.
The independent media polls show that Meg Whitman is the strongest Republican candidate to beat Jerry Brown in the general election. It is clear Meg Whitman is closing the gap and can win.
Methodology: McLaughlin & Associates’ California statewide surveys were conducted among 800 likely Republican primary voters between January 27 and February 1, 2009 and 500 likely Republican primary voters between January 7-11, 2010. All interviews were conducted by professional interviewers. Interview selection was random within predetermined geographic units. These units were structured to correlate with actual voter turnout during a Republican primary election. The accuracy of the sample of 800 likely Republican Primary voters is within +/- 3.4% at a 95% confidence interval. The accuracy of the sample of 500 likely Republican primary voters is within +/- 4.5% at a 95% confidence interval.
