wv-gov thirty-ninth street strategies for west virginia veterans (march 2016)
TRANSCRIPT
NewPrimaryPoll:StateofElections+AttitudeonCoal&Veterans
Democratic Primary Voters Not a Uniformed Group
Huntington, WV (3/9/16)- West Virginia Veterans, a non-profit organization engaging the community of military veterans, released a new poll focused on the May 10, 2016 Democratic Primary Elections. “We conducted this poll because the issues facing West Virginia have been largely ignored,” said Patrick Farrell, the President of West Virginia Veterans. “Our economy has been devastated and the upcoming elections will significantly impact our future. Our hope is that this poll will help elected officials, candidates and the media bring better focus to the issues concerning our people.” A polling memo is attached. For complete poll results send an email to [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter @WVveterans. ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA VETERANS West Virginia Veterans is a non-profit organization promoting the general welfare of military veterans residing in the Mountain State. Founded in 2006 by Patrick J. Farrell, West Virginia Veterans helps businesses employ and retain qualified veterans, shares information with the public regarding the needs of veterans, and provides leadership in the community to support veterans. Contact Information: Patrick J. Farrell West Virginia Veterans, Inc. [email protected]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 9, 2016
CONTACT: PATRICK FARRELL [email protected]
WestVirginiaVeterans
March 7, 2016
TO: Interested Parties
FR: Marc Silverman
RE: Polling in West Virginia’s Democratic Primary Election
Presidential Primary Vote
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton leads U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders by 13 points while
West Virginia trial lawyer Paul Farrell, Jr. and Keith Judd, who received over 40% of the vote in
the 2012 Democratic primary against President Barack Obama, are both in single digits (44%
Clinton / 31% Sanders / 6% Farrell / 1% Judd / 7% another candidate / 11% undecided).
Sanders has an overwhelming lead with Democratic primary voters who are 18-39 years of age
(18% Clinton / 65% Sanders), while Clinton leads with voters 40 and older (48% Clinton / 26%
Sanders).
Clinton leads Sanders by 20 points among women (49% Clinton / 29% Sanders), but only has a
seven-point lead among men (39% Clinton / 32% Sanders).
Gubernatorial Primary Vote
Businessman Jim Justice leads former U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin and State Senate Minority
Leader Jeff Kessler (36% Justice / 20% Goodwin / 16% Kessler / 28% undecided).
State Supreme Court Vote
Former West Virginia Attorney General and State Supreme Court Justice Darryl McGraw, Jr.
leads among Democratic primary voters by 29 points (39% McGraw / 10% Walker / 7% Wooton
/ 4% Benjamin / 2% King / 38% undecided).
The Coal Industry in West Virginia
A majority (55%) of Democratic primary voters believe that there is a “war on coal” being
waged. Not surprisingly, among voters who believe there is a “war on coal,” 86% oppose it.
However, in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, only 37% of Democratic primary voters
believe there is a “war on coal,” while 55% do not believe it exists.
Democratic primary voters are evenly split as to what is behind the decline of the coal industry
with 44% believing it is the policies of the Obama Administration and the federal government
while 44% blame it on natural changes to the energy market.
Once again, Democratic primary voters in the eastern panhandle view the issues surrounding
coal differently from the rest of the state as only 29% blame the policies of the Obama
Administration for the decline of the coal industry while a clear majority (57%) believe it has
been caused by natural changes to the energy market.
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Political Environment
Democratic primary voters are very unhappy with the direction that the United States is moving
(30% right / 59% wrong / 11% mixed), and with the direction that West Virginia is moving (20%
right / 73% wrong / 7% mixed).
While Democratic primary voters are unhappy with the direction that their state is moving,
Democratic Governor Earl Ray Tomblin remains very popular with these voters (76% favorable /
20% unfavorable / 4% don’t know).
Exactly one-half (50%) of Democratic primary voters give the Republican-controlled West
Virginia State Legislature a poor rating and an overall job rating of 20% positive / 78% negative.
Nearly two-thirds (60%) of Democratic primary voters believe the economy and jobs is the most
important issue facing West Virginia with another 10% stating it is the decline of the coal
industry.
Over three-fourths (76%) of Democratic primary voters believe that the federal government is
spending too little on veterans programs and services compared to 2% who believe the federal
government is spending too much and 16% the right amount.
Thirty-Ninth Street Strategies conducted N=600 interviews with likely 2016 Democratic primary election voters
in West Virginia. Interviews were conducted March 2-6, 2016. Respondents were selected at random, with
interviews apportioned geographically based on past voter turnout. Expected margin of sampling error for these
results is +3.9% with a 95% confidence level. The poll was commissioned by West Virginia Veterans, Inc.