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Poll: Maine Democrats Love Olympia Snowe -- GOPers Split
Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME)
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The new survey of Maine by Public Policy Polling (D) finds that Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe is overwhelmingly popular with the state's Democrats, in the wake of her vote for the Senate Finance Committee's health care bill -- and not too well liked among Republicans.
A whopping 70% of Maine Democrats approve of Snowe's job performance, with only 17% disapproving. Republicans, by contrast, are tied at 45%-45%. Independents approve of Snowe by 51%-33%, yielding an overall top-line approval of 56%-31%.
"With less than half of Republicans approving of Olympia Snowe now it's going to be interesting to see if she's challenged from the right come 2012," said PPP president Dean Debnam, in the polling memo. "Is she going to be pushed into a corner the way Arlen Specter was where her only prospect for political survival is a party switch? It's certainly something political observers across the country will be watching."
PPP also asked about approval of Snowe on health care specifically, with a top-lien of 48%-35%. Democrats were at 64%-20%, Republicans disapproved of her at 33%-52%, and independents were 44%-37%.
Respondents were also asked whether Snowe should switch to the Democrats, with only 32% in favor and 49% against it. Opinion was spread fairly evenly across all three party groups: Democrats 33%-47%, Republicans 32%-53%, and independents 29%-47%.
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eric the red
October 21, 2009 3:07 PM
Time to switch, Ms. Snowe.
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Schmed
October 21, 2009 3:25 PM
She's got nothing to lose no matter what party she's in. Doesn't bode well for a Democratic challenger.
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tosh
October 21, 2009 3:31 PM
We know that Snowe will flip parties come no later than 2011 if the GOP continues down the path of purity tests. The current NY House race is likely yet another eye opener to her. She might be able to shrug off Spector getting primaried since he's had issues with the base for years. But this House race is little more than a Civil war. She knows the party is drawing further and further into the fetal position of the extreme right. She can get re-elected fairly easily in Maine in a General Election, but her worry is simply getting there.
Setting aside that she looks around her caucus in the Senate and sees a bunch of nuts. She really does have a lot more in common at this point with the ConservaDems than anyone in the GOP other than Collins. There isn't likely to be anyone similar to her coming in unless Crist wins (which is possible), but she also knows that Crist is going to get drawn further and further to the right in his primary campaign.
I wouldn't be surprised if she jumps sooner. But the 2010 election will likely make it clear to her.
If she's smart, she'd jump right now. If the Dems don't do away with Seniority for committees, jumping down moves her *ahead* of anyone coming in due to the 2010 elections. There also are a lot of Old Fucks holding down Dem seats, quite a few who will be looking to retire in the next few cycles. There are also some long timers at risk in the current cycle. She should move up at a pretty fair clip.
Frankly, the Dems probably should look for some deal in seniority to Snowe and Collins for jumping. It might be unreasonable to recognize *all* of their service time. But perhaps count Half of it.
January 3, 1995 Snowe
January 3, 1997 Collins
If they jump January 3, 2010, perhaps move them up to:
January 3, 2002 Snowe
January 3, 2003 Collins
That would put Collins with Lautenberg (which is an issue in and of itself) and Pryor, and ahead of:
Menendez, Cardin, Sanders, Brown, Casey, Webb, McCaskill, Klobuchar, Whitehouse, Tester, Two Udalls, Shaheen, Warner, Hagan, Merkley, Begich, Burris, Kaufman, Bennet, Gillibrand, Spector, Franken and Kirk (and future MA Senator).
Snowe would of course be ahead of all of those.
There still are a fair number ahead of them, but a lot of those are old farts. Of course senators hate retiring, but some like Byrd and Inouye are going to go at a near date.
This would annoy some folks below them, and Lautenberg is a special problem (and I really don't know why the Dems didn't make nice when he did them a favor after Torricelli blew up. Strange.
Maybe play nice with Torricelli and give him his full tenure back. He's 85 and it's unlikely he'll run in 2014 at 90 unless the Dems can't find a decent successor.
Anyway, even without seniority, she will either jump or retire.
John
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kash79
October 21, 2009 3:34 PM
I don't see a reason why she should switch parties, she has more bargaining room and the notion of "rising above party interests" which is such a overrated but marketable concept.
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The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
October 21, 2009 3:51 PM in reply to kash79
Well, the fact that people in the minority don't get committee chairmanships, would be one reason.
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kash79
October 21, 2009 4:25 PM in reply to The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
You're right, and probably as a senator she would like the chairmanship, but she (along with the co-senator) has probably become much of a "key" figure at the national stage, much more than when Republicans were in power.
Anyway, to be honest while I don't share her principles I respect her. And probably, if she were a Democrat (a.k. a. Lincoln) with her current position on healthcare I would respect her much less.
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timba
October 21, 2009 4:18 PM
Maine and Connecticut democrats are screwing us and themselves by reelecting these crooked jerks.
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Tox
October 21, 2009 5:03 PM in reply to timba
Democrats had nothing to do with Lieberman getting re-elected in 2006.
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timba
October 21, 2009 4:24 PM
Also, Delaware, Iowa and Calfornia. No excuse for a blue state to have a corporate hack, regardless of party, as a senator.
Lieberman, Feinstein, Snowe, Collins, Grassley, and Carper have no business representing states that voted for Obama. Give us Obama supporters in those 6 seats and we'd have a public option, climate control, green jobs, affordable and competent education system, free travel to Cuba, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. These corporate shills are the sludge that's constipating everything that needs to have been done for years.
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lousgirl84
October 21, 2009 7:05 PM
Come on over to the bright side of life Olympia. It's much better over here.
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