Rasmussen: Florida Governor Race a Tossup

[nini2287]

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2006/State%20Polls/January%202006/Florida%20Governor%20January%203.htm

Crist (R) 36
Davis (D) 35

Gallagher (R) 37
Davis (D) 37

Crist (R) 40
Smith (D) 35

Gallagher (R) 36
Smith (D) 35

[Gustaf]

Does this mean that Florida could actually be competitive?

[Ben.]

I still think that Crist will be the GOP candidate and he’ll win, though not by more than 5-6%, that’s unless Harris really implodes and Nelson’s coattails seriously help Davis out  

[Gabu]

Wow, that's more undecideds than I would have thought.

[Democratic Hawk]

Certainly, grounds for optimism among Democrats. I agree with Ben that the GOP has the edge in though

In competitive races, Democrats need to select the best possible candidate

Dave

[Gabu]

In competitive races, Democrats need to select the best possible candidate

Thank you for this sage advice; here I was going to select the worst possible candidate in every race.

[Adlai Stevenson]

Why isn't Lieutenant Governor Toni Jennings favoured?  She's not mentioned in matchups.  Doesn't she have an advantage of office?

[Galactic Overlord]

I think it's because Crist is the better known candidate. 

[Democratic Hawk]

In competitive races, Democrats need to select the best possible candidate

Thank you for this sage advice; here I was going to select the worst possible candidate in every race.

I'm sure you wouldn't Gabu - nor would I - but plenty of Democrats have done, do and will continue to do so. Unfortunately

Dave

[Gabu]

In competitive races, Democrats need to select the best possible candidate

Thank you for this sage advice; here I was going to select the worst possible candidate in every race.

I'm sure you wouldn't Gabu - nor would I - but plenty of Democrats have done, do and will continue to do so. Unfortunately

Dave

Well, the problem is not that people purposely support the worst candidate, but that there's a lot of debate over who the "best" candidate is.  It's not exactly a scientific thing than is very well-defined.

[Democratic Hawk]

In competitive races, Democrats need to select the best possible candidate

Thank you for this sage advice; here I was going to select the worst possible candidate in every race.

I'm sure you wouldn't Gabu - nor would I - but plenty of Democrats have done, do and will continue to do so. Unfortunately

Dave

Well, the problem is not that people purposely support the worst candidate, but that there's a lot of debate over who the "best" candidate is.  It's not exactly a scientific thing than is very well-defined.

That it isn't but many Democrats are not immune from cutting off their noses to spite their face, which goes to someway to explaining why the party's in now in minority status and has lost 7 of the last 10 presidential elections. I'm more of a pragmatist than an ideological purist

I'd support a centrist to moderate conservative Democrat running in a GOP-held state or district if I thought they were the best chance of a pick-up. That said, I certainly wouldn't advocate selecting candidates who would "out-conservatise" the GOP candidate

The Democratic Party was at its strongest when it was a "big tent" party, but it lost much of its support in recent years for many reasons. And the party needs to win back some of that support, if it is even to hope to regain its majority status

Dave

[Gustaf]

It's probably impossible to reach majority-status in the US today. Or at least very, very hard. I don't think we'll see anything similar to the FDR era in a long time. It's simply to hard to unite enough people behind an agenda in such a large and diverse country.

[Democratic Hawk]

Gustav, I think you make a good point

In fact, given the diversity of the US, it's difficult for many people to understand why such a country as large and diverse as the US is, to all intents and purposes, a two-party state

Of course, electoral reform (i.e. abolishing first-past-the-post, simple majority electoral system) could see minor parties having a breakthrough. Furthermore, it's so money-orientated in America, that it doesn't really give smaller parties much of a chance

I often wonder the fact that only the Democrats or the Republicans are 'worth' voting for - I mean no disrespect to any other parties here - explains why among Western liberal democracies, the US has a comparatively lower turnout

Dave

[Adlai Stevenson]

Is Betty Castor not a candidate?  I'd have thought that with many Floridians now regretting their 2004 decision to elect Mel Martinez over her she would have an excellent shot at the Governorship.

[Flying Dog]

Is Betty Castor not a candidate?  I'd have thought that with many Floridians now regretting their 2004 decision to elect Mel Martinez over her she would have an excellent shot at the Governorship.

She has pretty much dropped off the radar map of late.

[??????????]

When the chickens come to roost it will be with the GOP. As per the norm.