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neonvincentEven though this was from early 2015, it's relevant to 2018, as Driskell is running again to challenge Walberg.
Driskell leads Walberg by five points in first poll of campaign
While the election is more than a year away and Democratic State Representative Gretchen Driskell only declared her candidacy for Republican U.S. Representative Tim Walberg's seat in Congress last month, she has already achieved a small victory in her quest for higher office.
Yesterday morning, Inside Michigan Politics released the results of a poll it commissioned as a press release. This first poll in the contest for Michigan's Seventh Congressional District showed Driskell leading Walberg by five points, 42 percent to 37 percent with 21 percent undecided.
Driskell's campaign welcomed the news. On the campaign's Facebook page, she wrote "this poll shows what I've been hearing from working families, seniors, and small business owners every day: voters are ready for a representative who works on their behalf."
Dennis Darnoi, Director of Analytics and Research for Revsix, which conducted the poll, said in the press release "these numbers show what astute political observers already know, namely Michigan's 7th Congressional District can be a competitive battleground. In a presidential year, and with the right candidate and the right strategy, Democrats have a real opportunity to win this seat."
Driskell might be that right candidate, as David Nir of Daily Kos called her, "one of the DCCC's top recruits so far this cycle." The DCCC is the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Amanda Stitt, CEO of Change Media Group in Lansing, pointed out two of Driskell's possible advantages, saying in the press release, "the 7th district has a large block of independent voters, and Driskell is in a strong position with these voters. While this may seem surprising, Driskell has an advantage because she has not had significant funds spent attacking her, and is helped by her standing as a former mayor of Saline. The odd dynamic in this district is that there is a large block of sporadic voting independents and a significant likely voting conservative base making this one of the most volatile districts in the country."
Driskell not only led among Democrats with 66 percent of her own party, but also among independents with 46 percent to Walberg's 27 percent.
Susan J. Demas, editor and publisher of Inside Michigan Politics, cautioned against undue optimism in the press release, saying, "The results are somewhat surprising, given the fact that Tim Walberg is a well-established, four-term incumbent, and Gretchen Driskell is unknown in big swaths of the district. But Walberg has faced tough elections before, and he’s been able to count on help from big-name groups like Club for Growth."
Darnoi added to the caution, predicting of Walberg "it's a safe bet that he will use every advantage of incumbency to get re-elected."
The poll also asked voters about a matchup between Walberg and last year's Democratic challenger for his seat, former State Representative Pam Byrnes. Walberg led Byrnes by five percent, 43 percent to 38 percent with 19 percent undecided.
Revsix, a data and analytics firm in Pontiac, conducted the automated survey of 422 likely 2016 general election voters in Seventh Congressional District, which includes the counties of Washtenaw, Jackson, Eaton, Hillsdale, Lenawee, and Monroe, on March 13 through 16. The margin of error was five percent.
Driskell leads Walberg by five points in first poll of campaign
While the election is more than a year away and Democratic State Representative Gretchen Driskell only declared her candidacy for Republican U.S. Representative Tim Walberg's seat in Congress last month, she has already achieved a small victory in her quest for higher office.
Yesterday morning, Inside Michigan Politics released the results of a poll it commissioned as a press release. This first poll in the contest for Michigan's Seventh Congressional District showed Driskell leading Walberg by five points, 42 percent to 37 percent with 21 percent undecided.
Driskell's campaign welcomed the news. On the campaign's Facebook page, she wrote "this poll shows what I've been hearing from working families, seniors, and small business owners every day: voters are ready for a representative who works on their behalf."
Dennis Darnoi, Director of Analytics and Research for Revsix, which conducted the poll, said in the press release "these numbers show what astute political observers already know, namely Michigan's 7th Congressional District can be a competitive battleground. In a presidential year, and with the right candidate and the right strategy, Democrats have a real opportunity to win this seat."
Driskell might be that right candidate, as David Nir of Daily Kos called her, "one of the DCCC's top recruits so far this cycle." The DCCC is the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Amanda Stitt, CEO of Change Media Group in Lansing, pointed out two of Driskell's possible advantages, saying in the press release, "the 7th district has a large block of independent voters, and Driskell is in a strong position with these voters. While this may seem surprising, Driskell has an advantage because she has not had significant funds spent attacking her, and is helped by her standing as a former mayor of Saline. The odd dynamic in this district is that there is a large block of sporadic voting independents and a significant likely voting conservative base making this one of the most volatile districts in the country."
Driskell not only led among Democrats with 66 percent of her own party, but also among independents with 46 percent to Walberg's 27 percent.
Susan J. Demas, editor and publisher of Inside Michigan Politics, cautioned against undue optimism in the press release, saying, "The results are somewhat surprising, given the fact that Tim Walberg is a well-established, four-term incumbent, and Gretchen Driskell is unknown in big swaths of the district. But Walberg has faced tough elections before, and he’s been able to count on help from big-name groups like Club for Growth."
Darnoi added to the caution, predicting of Walberg "it's a safe bet that he will use every advantage of incumbency to get re-elected."
The poll also asked voters about a matchup between Walberg and last year's Democratic challenger for his seat, former State Representative Pam Byrnes. Walberg led Byrnes by five percent, 43 percent to 38 percent with 19 percent undecided.
Revsix, a data and analytics firm in Pontiac, conducted the automated survey of 422 likely 2016 general election voters in Seventh Congressional District, which includes the counties of Washtenaw, Jackson, Eaton, Hillsdale, Lenawee, and Monroe, on March 13 through 16. The margin of error was five percent.
