Election 2010: Nevada Governor
Nevada Governor: Sandoval (R) 58% Rory Reid (D) 33%
Saturday, September 04, 2010 Email to a Friend ShareThis.Advertisement
Republican Brian Sandoval earns his highest level of support yet against his Democratic challenger, Rory Reid, in the race to be Nevada's next governor.
A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in the state finds Sandoval receiving 58% of the vote to Reid's 33%. Two percent (2%) prefer some other candidate, while seven percent (7%) are not sure.
Sandoval, a former federal judge and state attorney general, has consistently held a modest lead over Reid, son of Senate House Majority Leader Harry Reid. In surveys dating back to early February, support for Sandoval has ranged from 45% to 58%. In those same surveys, Reid has earned anywhere from 31% to 40% of the vote. Early last month, Sandoval led Reid 52% - 36%.
This race switches to Solid GOP on the Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 Gubernatorial Scorecard.
When leaners are included in the new totals, Sandoval attracts 60% of the vote, while Reid picks up 36%. This is the second Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 survey of the Nevada governor race to include leaners. In August, Sandoval held a 55% to 40% advantage over Reid with leaners included.
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.
Sandoval earns support from 93% of Republican voters in the state, while Reid is favored by 65% of Democrats. Among voters not affiliated with either party, Sandoval tops Reid 58% to 27%.
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The survey of 750 Likely Voters in Nevada was conducted on September 1, 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.
Democratic Senator Harry Reid and his Republican challenger Sharron Angle are still neck-and-neck in Nevada's race for U.S. Senate.
Nevada has one of the worst state economies in the country. The state's unemployment rate is just over 14 percent, much higher than the new national average of 9.6 percent. Fifty-one percent (51%) of Nevada voters say the economy is the most important issue in terms of how they will vote this year. Well behind are fiscal issues, such as taxes and government spending, with 16% of voters regarding this issue as the most important. Ten percent (10%) feel domestic issues, like social security and health care, will be the top issue on their minds this November, while just five percent (5%) feel that way about cultural issues.
Among voters who feel the economy is the most important issue, Sandoval and Reid are virtually tied 47% to 44%.
Eighty-six percent (86%) of Nevada voters know someone who is out of work and looking for a job. Eleven percent (11%) does not know someone who fits this description. Fifty-six percent (56%) feel the job market is worse than it was one year ago. Just 14% feel it is better, while 28% say it's the same as last year. For additional data from this survey, please check the toplines.
Current governor Jim Gibbons lost to Sandoval in a five-way GOP primary in June, and just 38% of voters in the state approve of the job he is doing. Fifty-nine percent (59%) disapprove of Gibbons' job performance.
Sandoval is viewed Very Favorably by 36% of Nevada voters and Very Unfavorably by 10%. Sixteen percent (16%) share a Very Favorable opinion of Reid, the Clark county commission chair, while 33% have a Very Unfavorable opinion of him.
Both candidates are well-known in the state, but at this point in a campaign, Rasmussen Reports considers the number of people with strong opinions more significant than the total favorable/unfavorable numbers.
Rasmussen Reports also has released polls on the 2010 governor’s races in Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
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