Election Polling
A few tips to pass along via PoliticalWire:
Kentucky Gov: Fletcher (R) 48% Chandler (D) 39%Mississippi Gov:
Barbour (R) 50%
Musgrove (D) 45%Via (RCP)
Louisiana Gov (11/15):
Blanco (D) 43%
Jindal (R) 41%
In all honesty, I expected Jindal to be running away a bit more and Chandler to be closer in KY (most polls (RCP) are showing Fletcher pulling ahead). Mississippi, I believe will poll as a dead heat, but could become a blowout on election day (ala Georgia-2002).
Louisiana would seem the most critical for Dems since its a state that Dems can conceivably carry with a strong centrist candidate. The other two are closer to "lost cause" status (KY being a possible exception).
All that said, I think if there's a sweep by either party, the winds will be carried to the Democratic Presidential pack and you'll either see some renewed optimism (with a Dem sweep) or a changed tune (with a GOP sweep).
UPDATE: Via Chris Lawrence, I learn that Mississippi has a unique election quirk that sends the vote to the State House if nobody wins a majority. That could mean a Florida-style ending to the election with the state of the MS Democratic party such that many conservative members might jump ship if Barbour is the plurality leader.
On an ironic note from the same Clarion-Ledger report is the polling to see which pol is the most popular in the state:
1 - Trent Lott (R - US Senate) 69% favorables
2 - Mike Moore (D - MS Attorney General) 65%
3 - George Bush (R - US President) 64%
Mike Moore, so far as I know, has yet to state what his plans are for 2004 and beyond as he is stepping down from the AG office this time around. Biggest suspicion is he's hoping Trent Lott retires, last I saw.
Also interesting is this:
But 77 percent of those polled do believe "trial lawyers have too much influence on the decisions of state government," not much above the 69 percent who believe "business interests have too much influence on the decisions of state government."
Welcome to Mississippi! (well, that is, if you were in Mississippi, that is.)