Election 2010: Nevada Senate
Nevada Senate: Reid (D) 47%, Angle (R) 47%
Wednesday, August 18, 2010 Email to a Friend ShareThis.Advertisement
The U.S. Senate race in Nevada remains very close.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in the state shows Democratic Senator Harry Reid and his Republican challenger Sharron Angle tied with 47% of the vote each. Five percent (5%) prefer some other candidate, and two percent (2%) are undecided.
Two weeks ago, Reid held a two-point advantage over Angle.
Earlier this year, Reid was considered to be one of the Senate’s most vulnerable incumbents. He picked up just 39% of the vote following Angle’s primary victory but has seen his own numbers improve to 41% in late June, 43% in early July, 45% in late July and 47% today.
For Angle, the numbers have been heading in the opposite direction. The GOP nominee attracted 50% of the statewide vote following her primary victory in early June. That fell to 48% later that month, 46% in early July and 43% in late July. The current survey represents the first time her support has increased since the primary.
When leaners are included in the new totals, Angle attracts 50% of the vote, while Reid picks up 48%. This is the first Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 survey in Nevada to include leaners. Leaners are those who initially indicate no preference for either of the candidates but answer a follow-up question and say they are leaning towards a particular candidate.
Early in any campaign, the numbers without leaners are generally more significant. Later in a campaign, the numbers with leaners matter more. After Labor Day, Rasmussen Reports will report the numbers with leaners as the primary indicators of the campaign.
With this latest survey, Nevada shifts from Leans Democratic to Toss-Up in the Rasmussen Reports Balance of Power summary.
Voters in Nevada already have staked out firm positions on the candidates. Eighty-eight percent (88%) of Reid’s supporters say that they are certain to vote for him and won’t change their mind. Eight-five percent (85%) of Angle’s supporters say the same.
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The survey of 750 Likely Voters in Nevada was conducted on August 16, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Both Reid and Angle earn overwhelming support from members of their own parties. Angle leads among voters not affiliated with either major party by a 52% to 35% margin.
Nevada voters have a gloomier assessment of the economy than voters in many other states. Only six percent (6%) rate the economy as good or excellent, while 66% describe it as poor. Twenty-six percent (26%) say the economy is getting better, but twice as many (53%) think it’s getting worse.
Eighty-three percent (83%) of voters who say the economy is improving support Reid. Sixty-seven percent (67%) of those who say it is worsening favor Angle.
Eighty percent (80%) of all Nevada voters say the country is in an economic recession.
Twenty-six percent (26%) of the state’s voters hold a Very Favorable opinion of Reid, who has represented Nevada in the Senate since 1987. But 44% view him Very Unfavorably.
Angle, a former state legislator, is viewed Very Favorably by 17% and Very Unfavorably by 39%.
At this point in a campaign, Rasmussen Reports considers the number of people with strong opinions more significant than the total favorable/unfavorable numbers.
Unlike voters nationally, Nevada voters are even more skeptical of their own representatives in Congress than they are of Congress as a whole. Sixty-two percent (62%) think most members of Congress are willing to sell their vote for cash or a campaign contribution, but 65% say it’s likely that their own congressional representative has done so. The latter figure includes 41% who say it is Very Likely.
Forty-three percent (43%) of voters in the state favor the requirement in the new national health care bill that every American must buy or obtain health insurance. Fifty-five percent (55%) oppose that requirement.This includes 25% who Strongly Favor it and 44% who are Strongly Opposed. These findings mirror views of the requirement among voters nationwide.
But Nevada voters are almost evenly divided when asked whether their state should sue the federal government to prevent that requirement from becoming law.
Fifty-nine percent (59%) believe the so-called Bush tax cuts should be extended, slightly higher than support nationally, while 32% think they should be allowed to expire at the end of the year as currently scheduled. Twenty-seven percent (27%) say expiration of the tax cuts will help the economy, but 48% believe it will hurt economically.
If the tax cuts are continued, 46% say they should be extended for all Americans, but just as many (47%) say they should be extended for everyone but the wealthy.
Forty-five percent (45%) of Nevada voters now approve of the job President Obama is doing, but 55% disapprove. This is in line with Obama’s job approval ratings nationally in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll.
Rasmussen Reports has recently surveyed Senate races in Arizona, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin. |
