[New Hampshire GOP senate candidate] Kelly Ayotte’s seen her appeal to moderate voters crumble in the wake of her endorsement by Sarah Palin and her lead over Paul Hodes has shrunk to its lowest level of any public polling in 2010- she has a 45-42 advantage over him, down from 47-40 in an April PPP poll…
Most of the movement both in feelings about Ayotte and in the horse race has come with moderate voters. Moderates make up the largest bloc of the New Hampshire electorate at 47 percent, and Hodes’ lead with them has expanded from just 8 points at 47-39 in April to now 21 points at 51-30. Ayotte’s favorability with them has gone from +5 at 32/27 to -19 at 27/46.
The Palin endorsement may well be playing a role in this. 51 percent of voters in the state say they’re less likely to back a Palin endorsed candidate to only 26 percent who say that support would make them more inclined to vote for someone. Among moderates that widens to 65 percent who say a Palin endorsement would turn them off to 14 percent who it would make more supportive.
Democrat Paul Hodes is unopposed. Ayotte faces Bill Binnie, Jim Bender and Ovide Lamontagne in the Republican primary on Sept. 14. They are running to replace Sen. Judd Gregg, a Republican, in the general election on Nov. 2.
- Topic: News & Comment
