On Election Night, Public Policy Polling released a survey of Arizona voters revealing that a general election race between Republican gubernatorial nominee Doug Ducey and the Democrats' Fred DuVal would be even matched -- at least in the beginning.
It gives hope to Democrats trying to gain leverage in a very Republican-leaning Arizona.
DuVal and Ducey each received a nod from 35 percent of the 588 likely voters polled. Libertarian Barry Hess received 12 percent of the vote.
Pollsters with Public Policy, which conducted the survey on August 24 and 25, say Hess' "high level of support reflects the unusual amounts of support we're finding for third party candidates across the country right now as voters are unhappy with both parties."
But Democrats have a good shot at this top office in November, pollsters say.
"Democrats have an opportunity in Arizona because voters are unhappy with Governor [Jan] Brewer and the current direction of the state," wrote Tom Jensen, Public Policy Polling director, in memo released yesterday along with the poll. "Only 41 percent of voters see Brewer favorably to 47 percent who have an unfavorable opinion of her. And there's a general feeling that the state is on the wrong track -- 59 percent of voters express that sentiment to only 30 percent who think the state is headed in the right direction under its current Republican leadership."
The poll notes that DuVal "remains largely undefined with 60 percent of voters having no opinion about him and those who do have one pretty evenly split."
According to the survey, just 26 percent of voters have a favorable opinion of Ducey, compared to 41 percent who have a negative opinion of him.
By comparison, DuVal remains largely unknown entity with 60 percent of voters having no opinion about him, and those who do have one are split.
Watch DuVal's first campaign ad, which features Republican Grant Woods, Arizona's former attorney general.
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