This Washington
Digging Deeper Into the WA Poll Numbers
The University of Washington has released the crosstabs from last week's Washington Poll
, which had Patty Murray leading Dino Rossi 50 to 42 (and found that voters favor repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell 60-24). As usual, there are some telling details in the numbers.
• Support for 18-year Senate incumbent Murray is especially strong among women, who support Murray over Rossi 55 to 38. Men are divided, with 44 percent supporting Murray and 45 percent backing Rossi. Somewhat unusually for a statewide political poll, more men than women are undecided---10 percent, compared to 7 percent of women.
• Not at all surprisingly, Murray's support is strongest in the Puget Sound region, where 56 of voters say they support her (compared to 37 percent Rossi and 7 percent undecided), while Rossi's the east side of the state was split: 48 Rossi, 46 Murray, and 6 percent undecided. (Those who lived elsewhere, which presumably includes Central Washington, were split 47-40 in Rossi's favor, with 14 percent undecided.
• The top four issues on voters' minds were all related to the economy: "Fix the economy/recession"; "taxes"; "jobs/unemployment"; and "budget deficit/government spending." That could help explain why the poll showed voters rejecting the high-earners' income tax, I-1098, losing, while a supporting a measure, I-1107, that would repeal the state sales tax on candy, soda, and bottled water.
• A plurality of voters, 39 percent, identified themselves as Independents, compared to 33 percent Democrat and just 29 percent Republican.
• Support for 18-year Senate incumbent Murray is especially strong among women, who support Murray over Rossi 55 to 38. Men are divided, with 44 percent supporting Murray and 45 percent backing Rossi. Somewhat unusually for a statewide political poll, more men than women are undecided---10 percent, compared to 7 percent of women.
• Not at all surprisingly, Murray's support is strongest in the Puget Sound region, where 56 of voters say they support her (compared to 37 percent Rossi and 7 percent undecided), while Rossi's the east side of the state was split: 48 Rossi, 46 Murray, and 6 percent undecided. (Those who lived elsewhere, which presumably includes Central Washington, were split 47-40 in Rossi's favor, with 14 percent undecided.
• The top four issues on voters' minds were all related to the economy: "Fix the economy/recession"; "taxes"; "jobs/unemployment"; and "budget deficit/government spending." That could help explain why the poll showed voters rejecting the high-earners' income tax, I-1098, losing, while a supporting a measure, I-1107, that would repeal the state sales tax on candy, soda, and bottled water.
• A plurality of voters, 39 percent, identified themselves as Independents, compared to 33 percent Democrat and just 29 percent Republican.
