Not only do 65% of Idaho voters think McCain�s choice of Sarah Palin was the right one, but 57% have a Very Favorable view of the Alaska governor. Fifteen percent (15%) see Palin in a Very Unfavorable light. By contrast, only 28% think Obama made the right choice in picking Delaware Senator Joseph Biden as his running mate. While 18% say their opinion of Biden is Very Favorable, nearly twice as many (33%) say they have a Very Unfavorable view of him. �By comparison, other Intermountain West states such as Montana, Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico are virtual dead heats. As an Intermountain West native, I know the character of Intermountain West states are generally more conservative and/or have proportionately more LDS church members than elsewhere. And this year, the region includes at least two �battleground states�, strongly suggesting Romney be considered for McCain�s vice-presidential pick. Add his highly successful management of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City amid potential crises as well as his debating style vis�-a-vis� that of Joe Biden, and we feel that the plusses of his Vice-Presidential candidacy outweigh the advantages of such other strong candidates as Governor Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, former Governor Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania, or Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, even when considering �housing� comments made by McCain.�
Smith added, �We fully expect some to say things as �Greg, why then did 16,000 people show up at Taco Bell Arena in Boise not long ago to see Barack Obama speak?� And, from Obama for Idaho staffers, �Aren�t you an ardent Republican, and therefore your polling isn�t to be trusted?� For one, many people who are/were not necessarily Obama supporters attended his visit. After all, we here in Idaho have few chances to see someone who may become President! And for those who might think our work may be biased, I might remind them that (1) we boast over twenty years of experience in the marketing research industry, and are well known for our quality research and analytical insight, and (2) we produced results almost exactly two years ago which showed now-Congressman Bill Sali (R) dropping precipitously in support to then-challenger Larry Grant (D), and were unpopular among many Republicans at the time. As a friend of mine told me once, there are two kinds of people with no friends: journalists and pollsters!�
Smith noted, �This poll was conducted during the week leading up to the choice of Joe Biden as Obama�s vice-presidential nominee. So, there could be some change in Idaho voter attitudes since then, although national results do not suggest this.�
�We will be releasing poll results regarding Idaho�s U.S. Senate race (to replace Larry Craig) on Thursday, August 28.�
Greg Smith & Associates is a marketing/public opinion research/polling and marketing consulting firm headquartered inEagle (Boise), Idaho, with numerous clients in the private and public sectors.
