RK ARCHIVE - Tim Kaine: #25 out of 50 Governors

According to SurveyUSA, Gov. Kaine is most popular with "pro-choice" voters (63%), people between 35 and 54 (61%), African Americans (57%), and women (56%).

Kaine is least popular among 18-34 year olds (37%), Hispanics (43%), Independents (43%), those who are "pro life" (43%), and men (49%). Regionally, Kaine is most popular in Central Virginia (55%), and least popular in Northeastern Virginia - aka, NOVA (49%).

Can anyone make sense of these poll results for me, because I don't really understand them (Hispanics? NOVA? 18-34 year olds? huh?).

Comments

I can't make any sense out of this-- (summercat - 5/19/2006 9:25:42 AM)

I just think it would be most helpful to see the poll questions, method, and sample. Did only Virginians answer questions about Kaine? How many minorities were sampled, what were the results for other governors.
Something seems to be askew.

Seems odd, but... (Eric - 5/19/2006 9:46:19 AM)

I can think of a few possibilities to explain it that don't involve faulty polling.

1. Kaine is not well liked by the younger group or the NOVA group, but he was better liked than Kilgore and therefore won the NOVA area by being the one they disliked the least.

2. The transportation issue. It seems to me there was a feeling of hope in the massively overcongested NOVA area and that the new guy would fix things. While it may not be Kaine's fault, nothing is better now and the future doesn't look too promsing either.

3. A variation of "Out of sight, out of mind". Of course NOVA folks get plenty of news and information, but unless you choose to follow the details of the mess in Richmond you probably don't know much about what's going on except the headlines (budget problems, tax fights, gridlock - in more ways than one). So if a pollster asks what do you think of Kaine, he's the only one to "blame" for those nasty headlines and therefore gets dinged.

How many Hispanics know Kaine worked as a missionary in Central America? (d'moore - 5/19/2006 10:13:54 AM)

I would think speaking Spanish, being Catholic and caring about immigrants would make him very popular among Hispanics. What up there? Maybe they just don't know.
I agree that legislative gridlock doesn't compute for most Virginians who aren't very well informed about what our crazy legislature does (or doesn't do). If they really knew, they would be getting rid of people like Scott Lingamfelter who hails from Prince William County doesn't think his constituents need public transit or better roads. How dumb can one legislator be or how uninformed can his consitituents be?