SURVEY DOESN’T POLL THIRD PARTY CANDIDATES, THOUGH …
A day after one poll showed “independent Republican” Tom Ervin gaining traction in the 2014 South Carolina governor’s race, another poll ignored his candidacy (and the candidacy of Libertarian Party nominee Steve French) altogether.
According to a new survey from Public Policy Polling (PPP) – a North Carolina-based Democratic firm – S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley leads Democrat Vincent Sheheen by a 50-45 percent margin. Those results are statistically no different than the 49-46 percent spread PPP found for Haley when it polled this race in June.
What’s different? Haley has been carpet-bombing televisions across the Palmetto State over the last month with advertisements touting her reelection.
“The race remains steady even as Haley held more than a (2-to-1) spending advantage throughout most of the month of August,” PPP pollster Tom Jensen noted. “The lack of movement in Haley’s direction comes despite her having spent more than $650,000 on television ads between August 5th and September 1st to only around $260,000 for Sheheen. Despite having much more of an opportunity to get her message out Haley hasn’t really been able to move the needle at all.”
PPP surveyed 793 likely voters on September 4-5. The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
Respondents were not given the names of Ervin or French, they were simply asked: “If you had to choose just between Republican Nikki Haley and Democrat Vincent Sheheen for governor, who would you vote for?”
For more information on this survey, click the link below …
42 comments
Oh crap, you morons are going to allow that turd to get re elected. I know SC is low on the totem pole when it comes to most indicators of success, but do you have to be so self loathing too?
Please dont put Haley back in office morons…4 more years and we are done under this idiot.
Under her leadership unemployment is down and SC recruited Boeing
“…another poll ignored his candidacy (and the candidacy of Libertarian Party nominee Steve French) altogether…”
So, you think another Nikki term will be a good thing?
Remains to be seen – haven’t been impressed so far but, to our benefit, she’s an amateur at shenanigans. Gilligan on the other hand is a school trained professional, not sure which is more dangerous. In terms of politics, Sheheen and Nikki could be brother and sister (in fact, they look alike – much to their own detriment). They are squabbling over stupid stuff while ignoring the real issues our state needs to get a handle on.
“So , you think another Nikki term will be a good thing ?” Compared to the alternatives— HELL YES.
Rogue,
You are totally blind to how incompetent and inept Haley is.
A second term for her will be as big a disaster and mistake as Obama’s!
As well as I remember, you were also a big Andre Bauer fan, another mistake on your part.
If Andre’ Bauer is a mistake I will gladly keep making them. An up by the boot straps businessman trumps a politician every time. Nikki comes from the business world not the halls of academia or “law”. More aligned with my requirements for leadership.
Keep Lickin’ that ass, Jay. It’s bound to pay off sooner or later, somehow.
Andre Bauer is a disaster and a dumb one at that.
Hell man, no one can be as inept as Bozo. Lets keep it relevant.
No worries. Haley is up 13% (+/- 3%). The real story is Ervin has spent millions and is polling at ZERO %!
I have been in several states in the past couple of weeks and the political pundits I speak with are laughing at those that believe this is a competitive race.
Kinda what I figured. Ervin at 0% , that is still more than he deserves but I’ll take it. LOL Shitheen should be right there with him though.
Are you a Col. like the fried chicken guy?
No but I do love his chicken!
I don’t know on this one Colonel, ignoring Ervin for a poll that is supposed to give us insight on the possible election outcome doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense to me.
Sure, Ervin’s not going to win, but the question is, will he take enough votes from Haley to get Sheheen in…and that seems like a real possibility.
That’s why the poll doesn’t seem to have been structured properly.
Concur totally – that’s sort of the point. Ervin’s support will come largely from folks who don’t like Nikki but who are nonplussed by Gilligan. In the final analysis, the “one party lever pullers” will get Nikki elected because Ervin (and to a microscopic degree French) dilutes the votes of the truly considerate voters.
Anyone who is voting for Ervin is not a considerate voter. The man is a has been never was using his wife’s millions made in ambulance chasing to run as a spoiler. Wait for the perks they get if Shaheen wins.
I get a cut….
I think a considerate person could vote for Ervin, French, Sheheen or Haley – one of the things I’ve learned here is that not every one who has realllllly thought about political issues agrees with me. They’re wrong but they don’t have to agree with me ;>
The other poll mentioned shows Ervin at 18% and climbing.
He is taking votes from Haley and Sheheen.
Thinking people, with an interest in the State and it’s future generations, see the knowledge and positives in an Ervin Administration.
We are tired of the same old worn out BS coming from the same old worn out career, professional politicians, who spin every thing they say, thereby saying nothing!
Ervin is a winner!
Not this time out he isn’t.
Mean Scream Media and their pollsters always seem to latch on to the “major” political parties … Because They Are LAZY And Stupid.
By the by: do they get new kneepads with the job?
Lazy an stupid – sometimes, more often it’s the fact that they’re playing the odds with their limited resources. You probably remember John Anderson – he originally was touted as a better candidate than the peanut farmer but do you remember Dennis L. Serrette?
Serrette? No.
“… they’re playing the odds with their limited resources. …”
Limited resources = brains?
Limited resources = The Internet?
Limited resources = the unsolicited poli-wog mouth piece just across the road?
Like I said, Lazy fur sure. Stupidity is no excuse when the Internet is filled with alternative resources to the local lobbyists/PR wonks/party suck-up lawyers …
(BTW: One thing that has endeared me to this particular blog is that the staff seems to be quite willing to let the readers (and writers) here drive these arguments. This is rather rare … one should try blogging to or replying to the San Francisco Chronicle.)
I concur, this gives me a place to discuss the events of the day without worrying about hurt feelings, offending some one or pudding off the wife.
Serrette ran against Reagan in 1984 – he had no chance of winning and never got any coverage. Anderson got coverage until they realized he wasn’t ready for prime time and suddenly his candidacy was over.
Gosh, you must be almost as old as I am …
My Wife, She who must be obeyed, has asked me to stop using Her login/screen name in the interest of propriety, clarity and/or death by the knife.
All Summer long FITS and others lamented that Sheheen was running a poor campaign. This shows how clueless they were. Most people pay no attention to politics in the Summer, therefore spending a bunch of money during that time, is a waste. That is especially true if you have the least to spend.
Sheheen was smart to keep his powder dry, until after Labor Day. A 5 point lead deficit against an incumbent is nothing to fret over either. Any race can shift 5 points in one week.
I’m surprised that Ervin wasn’t included in the polls. In a race this close, even 1-2% is significant if it comes predominantly from one side more than the other.
Agreed on the last part of your comment. As to the first part, Sheheen has run a poor campaign…if he wins it’s because Haley sucks so bad and Ervin drew enough votes to overcome the fact that Sheheen doesn’t excite many people.
Sheheen is toast.
I don’t trust either; no matter what party affiliation. But… If Rob Ford was running against Haley, I’d vote for Rob Ford.
Personally, I don’t care if it is Sheheen at this point, just someone manage to win besides her.
November 4th — Haley is re-elected and Repubs retain control of both houses. Nothing changes. Corruption and cronyism rule. To quote the immortal Walt Kelly: “We have met the enemy and he is us.”
Real question still has to be, what are the PPP numbers with Ervin in the race. If in a three-way Vinny is winning, that’s important.
I have no problem with Haley other than these dame roads. She is still better than the hacks running against her.
Currently fifth worse state economy in the US – can you imagine what she’ll accomplish with four more years. First place, for sure. Hurray for us. Hurray for Nikki. Hurray for stupid.
Fits lied as usual. SC has the 8th best economy in the nation according to Business Insider.
Dumb? How about Fits supporting /advertising for Ervin and Ravenel and they are polling at ZERO %!
What a political guru Will is. Shit he supported ECB until the weekend polling came in before the election.
I am more inclined to believe the PPP poll than the ARG one. Too bad PPP didn’t include Ervin. His TV has been terrific. My bet is that Ervin takes more support from Haley than he does from Sheheen. If things continue this way, there may be a big surprise in November.
Why would a child send a “suicide letter” to the Governor? “Nikki Haley has my back?” What a load of utter bull crap. I’m voting for Ervin solely because Mrs. Haley expects voters to respond to this pap.
Where was Nikki when those children were being brutalized and murdered by her DSS? Refusing to take any action against her handpicked director! Turning her back on those poor defenseless little lives, that’s where!
Haley is sickening with her immature drivel and incompetence:
Was it a” great day in SC” to those children while being murdered?
Was it a “great day” for our jobless when she was selling out the Charleston Port?
Was it a “great day” for the tax payer when she allowed our personal info to be stolen from her DOR?
Was it a “great day” for her family while involved in multiple affairs?
NO!
In her own words, “join the movement”, vote OUT Haley! It will be a “GREAT DAY in SC”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Vote Ervin and we will have many GREAT DAYS ahead!!
Folks, the real power behind Tom Ervin is his wife, Kathryn Williams, a multimillionaire workers compensation lawyer in Greenville who works out of a Southern mansion on North Main Street. She has way more brains than he does. He is really her lapdog IMO. Having said these awful things, I like them both as much as people like them can be liked, They are progressive, Presbyterian, and very rich. I heard she has a problem with anorexia. She is extremely thin. She loves animals and supports the Scottish Games at Furman.
Whatever happened to Brad Hutto? Has he dropped out of the Senate race? Jean Toal is going to be pissed it that is true.