Rob McKenna probably rocked his LSATs. But will he be the next governor?

Several months ago, a nerdy friend of mine—a progressive who works on urban planning issues with a keen eye toward environmentalism—told me: "I'm voting for the smart guy."

We were talking about the governor's race. And to my surprise, this fellow—who many would could consider to be the exact kind of young Obama voter that Democratic candidate Jay Inslee is counting on to vote for him as well (pro-gay marriage, worked at a liberal think tank, and has a local blog about druggy club music that hosts a DJ night at a Capitol Hill bar)—meant he was voting for McKenna.

There is a reversal of the standard candidate stereotypes in this year's Washington State governor's race. Rather than the doofy but charming Republican (think George W. Bush) vs. the pointy-headed, stiff Democrat (think Al Gore or the original Democratic intellectual, Adlai Stevenson), you've got Republican McKenna as the guy who probably scored off the charts on his LSATs (he went to the elite University of Chicago Law School) and Inslee, who played football and went to Willamette Law School in Oregon.



The original geek, Democrat Adlai Stevenson lost (twice) to amiable Republican Dwight "I Like Ike" Eisenhower

I was reminded of the conversation with my friend because the most recent Survey USA Poll, which came out today and has Inslee winning by five points, 49-44, asks a question I've never seen polled before, but which seems to highlight an issue at the heart of this year's race for "McKenna Democrats."

The poll asks point blank: "Which candidate do you think is smarter?"

And the poll found: McKenna.

It also found that they liked McKenna better on the economy, on education (my think tank friend worked on education issues too), and on bringing change to Olympia.

But get this: In addition to ultimately favoring Inslee on their ballots, voters also simply "like" Inslee better (way better ... 43 to 30).

And here's another stat that may explain this discrepancy—and explain why, McKenna, as smart as he is, has a major hurdle: Inslee also creams McKenna on this question: "Who reflects your opinions on social issues?" The question went on to identify McKenna as a Republican and Inslee as a Democrat. The score? Inslee 48 to McKenna 41.

The same poll found support for legislation legalizing gay marriage—which passed in Olympia this year and is up for voter approval in November—at 56 to 38.

Inslee supports gay marriage. McKenna does not.

 Oh, and update: My progressive friend now says he's voting for Inslee.