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Well, we’ve got about 11 months before the all-important 2010 District of Columbia primaries. Just enough time, in other words, for candidates to gather some early information on how they stand with the city’s electorate.
Which means polls!
Two of which City Desk has gotten some details on over the past couple of days. Details below.
Poll #1
The call starts off with a woman who mouths a line that sounds as if it had come straight from Mayor Adrian M. Fenty: Since the mayor took control of the schools, test scores have gone way up, but we still have a lot of work to do, according to an individual who received the poll this afternoon.
Shortly thereafter comes the question: Would you support Mr. Fenty for re-election? The respondent is asked how strongly or lamely he or she supports or opposes the mayor. “It felt like a push poll, especially with the talk of the schools,” says a pollee.
Poll #2
This call appears to come from anti-Fenty interests, as it tests lines of attack against the incumbent. The polling person says something along the lines of: “I’m going to say some statements that opponents of Adrian Fenty are likely to say during the upcoming election. Please answer if these statements would make you much less likely to vote for him, somewhat less likely, or no impact.”
The poll then gives this example of such an attack:
“Adrian Fenty only recently moved his kids from private to public school.”
Then come the scenarios, in which the polling person asks who you’d favor in a number of races, including Fenty v. D.C. Council Chairman Vince Gray, Fenty v. At-Large Councilmember Kwame Brown, and Fenty v. Unknown Businessman.
This poll, says a source, features 40 to 50 questions and takes around 15 minutes.
DEAR READERS: PLEASE FILL THE COMMENTS SECTION WITH YOUR RECENT POLLING EXPERIENCES!
Photo by Darrow Montgomery