What do the numbers mean?
WCAX-TV released its poll for the governor's race last night and the
Symington campaign found something to cheer about -- but so did the Douglas campaign.
The poll showed that if the election were held last week (on whatever dates the questions were asked) 48 percent of those surveyed would vote for Republican Gov. Jim Douglas, 33 percent would vote for Democratic House Speaker Gaye
Symington, 7 percent would cast ballots for independent Anthony
Pollina and 12 percent had yet to make up their minds.
The story about the poll doesn't say if these were registered voters or voters
likely to vote.
Douglas has a 15 percentage point lead, but doesn't have the 51 percent he will need to win.
He can be happy about the lead. She can be happy he doesn't have a majority.
Then there are the numbers that indicate what people think of the candidates.
Douglas received a favorable rating from 48 percent of those polled, presumably the same 48 percent who would vote for him. The bad news for him is that his unfavorable rating was 43 percent.
Symington has to like that.
She received a favorable rating from 37 percent of those polled. Why didn't they all say they'd vote for her? Her unfavorable rating was only 15 percent -- not bad.
The question mark for
Symington is the 48 percent of those polled who have no opinion about her. Scary to be such an unknown to voters six weeks before an election, isn't it? Her campaign argues this as an opportunity.
Pollina received a favorable rating from 41 percent, but despite those good feelings, many didn't indicate they would support him in the election. Ouch. He also had unfavorable ratings from 33 percent. Ouch 2. About 26 percent had no opinion about him.
So what do you read in these tea leaves?
-- Nancy
Remsen