A new survey of Alabama by Public Policy Polling (D) finds that Rep. Artur Davis leads in the Democratic primary for governor — but it’s possible that his vote against the health care bill could come back to haunt him.
The numbers: Davis 38%, Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks 28%, and third candidate Sam Franklin Thomas with 9%, with a ±4.6% margin of error. At the same time, 80% of Democratic primary voters support the health care bill, compared to only 14% who oppose it.
So while Alabama is a conservative state, and it’s possible that opposing the bill was a smart move for the general election, the potential exists for this vote to haunt Davis in the June primary.
PPP communications director Tom Jensen writes: “Sparks certainly has an issue to play with here - it’s not often to have a primary where the leading candidate recently cast a vote that 80% of the electorate disagrees with - but whether he will have enough resources to milk that issue for what it’s worth and defeat Davis remains to be seen.”
Eric Kleefeld
Eric Kleefeld joined TPM as an intern for the final months of the 2006 midterm elections, and then kept showing up for work. His other interests include guitars, old comic books and the politics of various English-speaking countries.
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