Turning The Third Purple: The Flop
By Mitch Berg
One of the state legislative races the DFL’s been hitting hardest this cycle has been 32B, in Hennepin County. It’s Kurt Zellers’ seat. Zellers is the House Minority Leader – one of the MNGOP’s pack of young conservatives, Brod and Emmer and Seifert and the others that have made such an impact at the State House this past couple of sessions.
So getting Zellers’ head on a plaque would be a huge spiff for the DFL in what is likely to be a trying year. They’ve been pouring money and time into Katie Rodriguez‘ campaign. More than that, they’ve been pouring prestige into it; last week at a fundraiser in the district, Margaret Anderson-Kelliher proclaimed Rodriguez had the district tagged, bagged and on the slab.
If true, this would be huge, akin to the GOP knocking off Dean Johnson a few years back.
If true.
But according to a poll last week from the Tarrance Group of 250 likely voters in 32B, it’s just not true (emphases added):
The survey, conducted October 3-4, found Zellers leading his DFL-endorsed opponent by 24 points, 57-33, replicating a lead he displayed in a poll conducted in August. Zellers also shows a sizable advantage over his opponent among independent voters, leading by more than four-to-one.
Kelliher’s got some ‘splaining to do.
This little portion of the Third District seems to be getting redder and redder as we go along.
But wait – there’s more. Tune in right after noon.
October 10th, 2010 at 12:28 pm
[…] zflag_sid="26"; var zflag_width="1"; var zflag_height="1"; var zflag_sz="15"; « Turning The Third Purple: The Flop […]
October 10th, 2010 at 12:40 pm
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by mitchpberg, NARN2. NARN2 said: The DFL's been hammering HD32B – Zellers' district. It's not working – http://bit.ly/bPhECX #stribpol #mn2010 and there are big implications […]
October 10th, 2010 at 1:44 pm
It’s Kurt Zellers’ seat.
Not it’s not! That seat belongs to the voters and the people of the district! You are such an elitist!
October 10th, 2010 at 9:35 pm
And thank Gaia Carpetbagger Al is sitting in the Paul Wellstone! seat!
!
October 10th, 2010 at 9:49 pm
If Zellers is ahead, why is he wasting his money on two polls? Based on the numbers and the source, this poll is a BIG JOKE. Word on the street is that the Republican Party is disappointed in Zellers’ performance and is worried that he is going to lose by a large margin.
October 10th, 2010 at 10:03 pm
If Zellers is ahead, why is he wasting his money on two polls?
To see if he is or is not wasting his money.
Based on the numbers and the source, this poll is a BIG JOKE.
Um, huh? What numbers? What source? Tarrence is a respected pollster. What is supposedly wrong with the numbers?
You don’t know, do you?
Word on the street is that the Republican Party is disappointed in Zellers’ performance and is worried that he is going to lose by a large margin
Oh, really? What “street” is that?
Specifics, please.
Cuz if you don’t have specifics to support this claim, you are just an anonymous crank in a comment section.
October 10th, 2010 at 11:08 pm
This is a district that McCain won, and that Coleman beat Franken by 13 points, in 2008. Zellers won by 6.
No way Zellers loses in 2010.
October 10th, 2010 at 11:15 pm
True.
Just making sure MAK knows.
October 11th, 2010 at 2:42 am
You seem to be awfully familiar with Zeller’s fundament, Disco. Your business, I suppose.
October 11th, 2010 at 7:00 am
[…] it over the past weekend – an internal poll shows that GOP House Minority Leader Kurt Zellers maintained a 24 point lead over challenger Katie Rodriguez in disatrict 32B. It also shows that Tom Emmer has gone from a 3 point deficit to a ten point […]
October 11th, 2010 at 9:33 am
The “word on the street”? Does it come from Deep Throat…or Aqualung?
October 11th, 2010 at 8:43 pm
Mitch, Night Writer…the street is Main Street, Maple Grove, MN, USA! The poll is a joke. The sample size is too small to be credible. The questions for the poll were probably misleading. Oh, that’s right, you forgot to include the questions in the phony memo. Show the total results and then we can have real conversation.
October 12th, 2010 at 10:48 am
MG-OsseoChampion said:
“The questions for the poll were probably misleading”
So you’re admitting that you don’t know, and you’re now telling us what you want to believe. Great. Thanks much.
October 18th, 2010 at 7:07 am
[…] The DFL’s been targeting that district all year, but it’s just not working – Zellers is clobbering Katie Rodriguez by 24 points, even though Margaret Anderson-Kelliher proclaimed the district to be prime upset territory bare […]
October 29th, 2010 at 12:03 pm
[…] This tracks with results I saw a few weeks back in District 32B. […]