From the Webb campaign...bolding added for emphasis.
To: Webb Campaign
Fr: Pete Brodnitz
Date: June 29, 2006
Re: Internal PollingThe race for U.S. Senate in Virginia is competitive. Allen has just a 7% lead over Webb in the current ballot and falls short of 50% support. This is despite that the fact that Allen has been in public office for most of the past 24 years, and as a result he has a 48% name identification advantage over Webb (90% know Allen while 42% know Webb). At this stage of the 2005 race for Governor, Kilgore led Kaine in the ballot by 5% but he ultimately lost the election by 5.7%.
One of the challenges facing Allen is the current political climate, in which voters are unhappy about the course of the country and performance of the President, and as a result they are looking for someone who will change the course. In this climate, Senator Allen+óGé¼Gäós current advertising that touts his accomplishments may be missing the mark, which is why despite 2 weeks of heavy advertising; Allen has not been able to achieve 50% support.
Further evidence of Allen+óGé¼Gäós vulnerability is that once voters are read a short positive profile of each, the race is in a statistical dead heat (Webb 44%, Allen 43%).
Below are the results of a statewide survey of 601 likely, registered voters that was conducted June 22 - 27, 2006. The margin of error for the results is +é-¦4.0%.
The Current Ballot is Close:
In the current ballot, Allen leads by 7% lead but falls short of 50%.
This November there will be an election for U.S. Senate. If the candidates were+óGé¼-ª for whom would you vote?
Democrat Jim Webb 39%
Republican George Allen 46%
Don+óGé¼Gäót Know 15%Voters are Unhappy About the Direction of the Nation
While Virginians are generally hopeful about the course of the Commonwealth, they are pessimistic about the direction of the country as a whole and feel that the President+óGé¼Gäós policies, which Senator Allen almost uniformly supports, are not working.
Do you generally think that things in the country are headed in the right direction or are they on the wrong track?
Right Direction 31%
Wrong Track 57%Do you generally think that things in Virginia are headed in the right direction or are they on the wrong track?
Right Direction 56%
Wrong Track 30%Voters Are Not Inclined to Reward Allen or Bush Performance
Four in ten voters say that Allen is doing only a fair or poor job as Senator and over a majority (62%) believes George W. Bush is doing fair or poor job as President.
How would you rate the job George Allen has been doing as Senator?
Excellent/Good 51%
Fair/Poor 40%
Don+óGé¼Gäót Know 9%How would you rate the job George W. Bush has been doing as President?
Excellent/Good 36%
Fair/Poor 62%
Don+óGé¼Gäót Know 2%Virginia Voters Are Looking for New Policies, Not More of the Same
Virginia voters are hungry for a Senator who will stand up to President Bush. They believe the country is heading in the wrong direction and disapprove of Bush+óGé¼Gäós handling of his job as President. 68% want a Senator who will challenge President Bush.Which of the following best represents the type of United States Senator you want to elect this November?
A senator who is Independent-minded and will challenge the policies of President Bush 68%
A senator who will support the policies of President Bush 24%
Don+óGé¼Gäót Know 8%
So, there you have it; George Allen is extremely vulnerable, according to this internal Webb poll done by the respected Benenson Strategy Group. Basically, all that Jim Webb needs to do is to get his message out there, raise his name recognition, tie Allen to Bush (not a hard thing, given that Allen votes lockstep with Bush 97% of the time), and convince Virginians that HE is the agent for positive change while George Allen is the "more of the same" candidate. To accomplish all that, Webb needs money, and lots of it. Please help Jim Webb as much as you can, and he can stop George Allen right here, right now. Thanks!