Suffolk University Poll Shows Nevada Voters Blaming GOP for Wall Street
Meltdown
BOSTON, Sept. 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As the two major
presidential candidates prepare to debate Friday night, John McCain (45.8
percent) and Barack Obama (45.3 percent) are in a virtual dead heat, with
McCain leading by the slightest of margins among likely voters in the state
of Nevada, according to a poll released today by Suffolk University.
"What happens in Vegas may not stay in Vegas, because if Barack Obama
tips the historically Republican Silver State his way, it may be indicative
of a Democratic run from coast to coast among the battleground states,"
said David Paleologos, director of the Political Research Center at Suffolk
University in Boston.
Nevada has voted Republican in eight of the last 10 presidential
elections, dating back to 1968.
The recent Wall Street turmoil has not helped matters for the
Republican Party. When likely voters were asked which political party -- if
any -- deserved blame for the roiling economy, 41 percent blamed the
Republicans; 16 percent blamed Democrats; 27 percent said neither; and 16
percent were undecided.
"Up to now, John McCain has marketed himself as a maverick reformer.
But he may well have to reinvent himself as a regulator if he wants to
avoid the wrath of Nevada voters, who lay most of the blame for the mess in
the financial markets on the Republican Party's failure to play watchdog to
Wall Street's high rollers," said Paleologos.
Respondents said they trust Obama more than McCain, 46 percent to 45
percent. This contrasts sharply to the 49 percent - 41 percent trust
advantage that McCain enjoyed in a Suffolk University Ohio poll a week ago.
Obama showed other strengths in the poll. More respondents believe
Obama (40 percent) understands and cares about their problems. McCain (23
percent) and Sarah Palin (18 percent) trailed, with Joe Biden receiving
only 6 percent.
A small but significant number of voters said they support third-party
candidates, with Libertarian Bob Barr the choice of 1 percent of voters
polled and independent Ralph Nader, 2 percent.
The top issues on the minds of Nevada presidential voters were
economy/jobs (47 percent), Iraq War (11 percent), terrorism (9 percent),
moral values (9 percent), health care (8 percent), and taxes (6 percent).
The Nevada bellwether of Washoe County showed Obama (42 percent)
leading McCain (38 percent), with Nader and Barr each receiving 1 percent
and 15 percent undecided.
In 2008, Suffolk University bellwethers were 95 percent accurate in
predicting straight-up winners in both Democratic and Republican primaries,
and, when in agreement with the statewide Suffolk polls of the respective
states, were 100 percent accurate in predicting straight-up winners.
The Suffolk University poll was conducted Wednesday September 17, 2008,
through Sunday, September 21, 2008. The margin of error on the study of 600
is +/- 4 percent at a 95 percent level of confidence. All respondents from
the Nevada statewide survey were likely voters. There were 300 respondents
bellwether of Washoe County, Nev., identified separately from the statewide
poll. Marginals will be posted on the Suffolk University Political Research
Center Web site -- http://www.suffolk.edu/college/1450.html -- on Monday, Sept.
22, 2008. There will be 198 pages of cross-tabulation data posted on
Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2008. For more information, contact David Paleologos at
781-290-9310.
Suffolk University, located on Boston's historic Beacon Hill, with
campuses in Madrid and Dakar, Senegal (Africa), is a comprehensive global
institution distinguished by its teaching and the intellectual
contributions of its faculty. Suffolk offers a wide range of undergraduate
and graduate programs in more than 70 areas of study. Its mission is to
provide quality education at a reasonable cost for students of all ages and
backgrounds, with strong emphasis on diversity.
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