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GOP Retreating On Weldon Seat? Scales Back Spending In Three Key House Races

By Greg Sargent - October 31, 2006, 2:02PM

Just out from the Associated Press:

Signaling retreat, House Republicans are scaling back television advertising in three highly contested races, officials said Tuesday, including Rep. Curt Weldon's bid for an 11th term in Pennsylvania and open seats in Colorado and Ohio...
The two other races where Republicans are scaling back advertising include the Ohio district that convicted Rep. Bob Ney has represented, and the one Rep. Bob Beauprez vacated to run for governor of Colorado.

CQ Politics rates Weldon's race as "leans Democratic," largely due to the Federal probe bearing down on him. The AP says that the cash once alloted for Weldon's race will be redirected to help struggling Pennsylvania GOP incumbents Michael Fitzpatrick and Jim Gerlich, while the money for Ney's seat will go to helping Ohio Rep. Deborah Pryce. Meanwhile, AP notes, Dems are expanding "into districts in Kansas and Nebraska that have long been in GOP hands." Tick, tock, tick tock...

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Hello, I'm new.......

Okay, I don't understand the numbers in the Tennessee Senate Race. Last week Congressman Ford was up, 50% to 45%, now he is behind by 8 points. According to the CNN poll of which I'm referencing, they tell say the numbers (likely and registered) are WITHIN THE MARGIN OF ERROR. I don't get it. Now we have new numbers from the Wall Street Journal and Zogby, labeling the race a dead heat. Also, I live in Memphis. I got a call from a PULL POLL I guess that is what you would call it. They asked me if I would be voting in the Senate Race, I said YES. They asked if I were going to vote for Bob Corker I said NO, and then they asked if I was going to vote for Harold Ford, I said YES. Then they proceeded to tell me (in an automated voice) that Congressman Ford would raise my taxes and former Mayor Bob Corker would cut them. Of course, I did watch the debate on Saturday when Congressman Ford asked former Mayor Bob Corker had he ever cut a tax. Well he didn't lie and say he had, so that told me he never has.

I don't understand if former Mayor Bob Corker is winning why he is letting a company out of Virginia to do something like this.

Someone help me understand.....

Posted by LadyBird
October 31, 2006 2:38 PM | Reply | Permalink

The polls often move around at the end of the race, as more voters start to tune in and make their final decisions. The number of undecided voters goes down.

All of these polls use different methodology and get somewhat different results. Some are more respected than others. Interactive polls are least respected (WSJ/Zogby interactive, Survey USA, Rasmussen I think).

That's a push poll. It's a dirty way of getting supporters of your opponent to stay home on election day. Just be sure to vote for Ford, make all of your friends/family vote for him, and volunteer to make phone calls and go door-to-door for him.

It matters!

(Josh has been talking about push polls at www.talkingpointsmemo.com)

Posted by ohiomeister
October 31, 2006 5:35 PM | Reply | Permalink

Who at the GOP takes the blame for wasting money on all of these races that they are now conceding? If it's a wave, they will have wasted tons of money on races that weren't even close. Even if it's not, they still look like they've made some serious mistakes (like the amount of time and money they've invested in all of the GOP candidates under federal investigation and the replacements of the GOP Reps who resigned in disgrace).

Posted by ohiomeister
October 31, 2006 5:37 PM | Reply | Permalink