Senator John McCain's lead over J.D. Hayworth in the GOP primary for U.S. Senate has shrunk dramatically, according to the latest Rasmussen poll, but that doesn't have the McCain campaign singin' the blues just yet.
The poll, which the Hayworth campaign announced this morning, shows that Hayworth, who trailed McCain by 22 points in the same poll conducted in November, has narrowed the margin and now only trails "The Maverick" by 7 percent.
"Despite throwing nearly $1 million into radio in the past month alone, Senator McCain's 22-point lead has now sunk to just 7 points," says David Payne, Hayworth's campaign manager. "He's a lot like Washington -- the more money he throws at something, the less impact it has."
Sounds a lot like a "Bridge to Nowhere" type thing, if ya ask us.
The McCain folks aren't too concerned with the new numbers, though, and question the widely respected Rasmussen's scope on the race.
"Rasmussen's numbers have been all over the map, so you have to question... Last November Rasmussen had the race tied; this January had McCain up 22, and now has McCain up 7," McCain spokesman Brian Rogers tells New Times. "The internals for both campaigns have been consistent in showing McCain with a strong advantage of 16-plus points. Our last internal poll had McCain up 20 points, and those numbers continue to be strong."
Rogers used Hayworth's money talk to beat the old earmark drum a little louder. "Speaking of money," Rogers says, "as Arizona Republican primary voters find out about Congressman Hayworth's strong support for corrupt and wasteful pork-barrel earmark spending and his votes for trillions in absurd earmarks like the 'Bridge to Nowhere,' they'll reject his big-government philosophy."
Hmmm, we think they'll reject him because he thinks letting a few gay dudes marry each other will lead to wedding vows between men and their ponies, but, hey, that's just us.
