Schiff polling shows him competitive with Dodd
By Aaron Blake and Reid Wilson
Posted: 06/30/09 06:25 PM [ET]
Economist Peter Schiff is looking closely at joining the GOP primary to face Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), and his polling shows he would be competitive in the general election.
The polling, which was conducted by Wilson Research Strategies and obtained by The Backroom, shows Dodd leading the little-known Schiff within the margin of error, 42-38.
Schiff doesn’t fare as well as former Rep. Rob Simmons (R-Conn.), who leads Dodd 47-38 in the poll, but the polling memo makes the case that he would be just as competitive with Dodd once he gains name recognition.
When matched up with Dodd, 69 percent of Republicans and 90 percent of strong Republicans choose Schiff. For Simmons, those numbers are 74 and 90, respectively.
The memo includes no GOP primary head-to-heads or numbers testing former Ambassador to Ireland Tom Foley or state Sen. Sam Caligiuri, who are also running on the Republican side.
But it does show that Dodd continues to struggle in his quest to return to voters’ good graces. The results closely mirror a Quinnipiac poll from late May, which showed Simmons leading Dodd 45-39 and Dodd leading Caligiuri — another little-known GOPer — within the margin of error.
Schiff is a libertarian-leaning former Ron Paul adviser who made a name for himself by predicting the economic recession. He has made it clear that he’s leaning toward a run and could bring significant personal resources to the race.
— A.B.
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I will definately volunteer for his campaign if he goes through with this.