Robert
Wyatt, Ph.D., Director of Communication Research, (615) 477-8389
rwyatt@mtsu.edu
Jason
Reineke, Ph.D.,
Associate Director of the MTSU Poll, (615) 494-7746
jreineke@mtsu.edu
Marjorie Maddox Newman,
Publicity (615) 242-8846
margie@hallstrategies.com
How the news media reported on the MTSU Poll, Fall 2008
Tuesday, October 7 (Online Clips)
Tennessean (Carey)
Democrats try to close evangelical gap
Dennis Barbee cares about low taxes. He wants a strong economy and solid national security. But above all else, the registered nurse from Spring Hill is basing his vote this November on moral issues. "Making sure human beings have a right to live is important to me," Barbee said. He isn't yet sure whom he'll vote for, but the candidate he backs will be "a godly person that definitely has Jesus Christ as their Savior," he said. For evangelical voters in Tennessee and elsewhere, presidential elections often hinge on social issues like abortion or same-sex marriage. Traditionally, the beliefs of the evangelical bloc, which includes a diverse number of Protestant groups, have lined up with the Republican platform, said Vanderbilt University political scientist Marc Hetherington. Candidates push hard for their votes in Tennessee, the rest of the South and much of the Midwest, said University of Memphis political scientist Heather Larsen-Price.
http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081007/NEWS0206/810070341/1006/NEWS01
Also ran in USA today: http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-10-06-50states_tenn_N.htm
Sunday, October 5 (Online Clips)
Tennessean (Sisk)
Economy trumps other worries
It's the economy - again. With job losses mounting, consumer confidence on the decline and Congress passing a $700 billion debt-buyout plan for Wall Street, voters across the country and in Middle Tennessee have turned their attention back to financial issues in resounding numbers. The state of the nation's economy has started to crowd out all other issues, including health care, education, international terrorism and global warming, to an extent rarely seen on the eve of a presidential election, political scientists and ordinary voters say. "What everybody's concerned about is their pocketbook," said Brad Coker, managing director of Mason-Dixon, a Washington, D.C., firm that regularly polls Tennessee voters. "Most of the time, there's a couple of different things. This year, it's the economy."
http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008810060337
Also ran on WBIR-Knoxville on Oct 6: http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=65809&catid=2
Tuesday, Sept 30 (Online Clips)
Tennessean (Brooks) – Click here for Front Page/Local Section PDF
Polls give McCain hefty lead in Tenn.; Obama has Nashville
No one knows who will come out ahead when Nashville hosts next week's presidential debate, but John McCain heads into town with a clear lead in the latest statewide polls. Republican nominee McCain leads Democrat Barack Obama by a margin of 48 percent to 36 percent in a statewide poll released Monday by Middle Tennessee State University. Obama does enjoy strong support in Nashville, site of the upcoming Oct. 7 town-hall debate at Belmont University: 59 percent of Nashville voters polled favored him, compared with 26 percent for McCain. "McCain leads Obama in Tennessee as he has since at least a year ago," Jason Reineke, associate director of the MTSU poll, said in a statement. "But Nashville should feel like friendly ground to Sen. Obama. In a way, both candidates will have a home field advantage during the debate."
http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080930/NEWS0206/809300370/-1/RSS05
Commercial Appeal (Locker)
Polls show McCain has commanding lead in Tennessee
Two new statewide surveys underscore why Tennessee isn’t a battleground state in this year’s presidential race: Both show Republican John McCain with double-digit leads over Democrat Barack Obama in the Volunteer State. The newest MTSU Poll, conducted Sept. 15-27 by the College of Mass Communication at Middle Tennessee State University, shows McCain leading Obama 55 to 35 percent among registered and likely voters, but by a closer 48 to 36 percent among all Tennesseans 18 and up. Surveys of “likely voters” are considered a more accurate indication of the outcome of an election than a sampling of the entire population. A separate poll conducted Sept. 22-24 by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research for the Chattanooga Times Free Press shows McCain leading Obama 55 to 39 percent among registered, likely voters in Tennessee.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/sep/30/polls-show-mccain-has-commanding-lead-tennessee/
Monday, Sept 29 Online Clips
Tennessean (Brooks)
Poll: McCain leads statewide, Obama leads in Nashville
No one knows who will come out ahead when Nashville hosts in next week’s presidential debate, but John McCain heads into town with a clear lead in the latest statewide polls. Republican nominee McCain leads Democrat Barack Obama by a margin of 48 percent to 36 percent in a statewide poll released today by Middle Tennessee State University. Obama does enjoy strong support in Nashville, site of the upcoming Oct. 7 town hall debate at Belmont University, but trails in the rest of the state. “McCain leads Obama in Tennessee as he has since at least a year ago,” Jason Reineke, associate director of the MTSU poll, said in a statement. “But Nashville should feel like friendly ground to Sen. Obama. In a way, both candidates will have a home field advantage during the debate.”
http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080929/NEWS01/80929038
WKRN News 2 (Bundgaard)
MTSU poll put McCain ahead of Obama in Tenn.
A poll of likely voters in Tennessee released by MTSU Monday shows John McCain over Barack Obama, 55% to 35%. The results are similar to last week's Mason-Dixon poll of likely Tennessee voters which showed 55% of Tennesseans in favor of McCain, 39% of Obama. The polls were taken prior to Monday's stock market crash -- something state Democratic Party spokesperson Wade Munday thinks could turn Tennesseans to Obama.
http://www.wkrn.com/global/story.asp?s=9094377
Nashville Post / Post Politics (Kleinheider)
New MTSU Poll: 22% Of Hillary Supporters Will Vote For McCain
According to a new poll, in a state which Hillary Clinton won the Democratic primary by a commanding percentage and which includes a large swath of those conservative Appalachian voters, Barack Obama still has trouble in the race against John McCain.
Instapundit (Reynolds)
INTERESTING TENNESSEE POLL: "A quarter of Democrats who voted for Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary said they will now vote for McCain, according to the poll. 56% of Clinton supporters say they will vote for Obama and the rest remain undecided."
http://pajamasmedia.com/instapundit/
Daily News Journal (Staff)
MTSU Poll: McCain leads Obama comfortably in TN as debate nears
Next week’s presidential debate in Nashville will bring Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain to the Democratic capital of a Republican state, a news release from the latest MTSU Poll suggests. The poll also finds that Tennesseans’ concern about the economy and jobs has reached an all-time high, while their satisfaction with national conditions has hit an all-time low, and their satisfaction with state conditions has reached its lowest point in two years, the release states. In the race for president, McCain leads Obama by 48 percent to 36 percent statewide, a double-digit lead with just 10 percent undecided and few Tennesseans inclined to change their minds, according to the poll. The Republican lead grows among the state’s likely voters, with 55 percent favoring McCain and 35 percent preferring Obama.
http://dnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080929/NEWS01/80929019
Nashville is Talking / WKRN (Grantham)
2008 Presidential polls in TN give lead to McCain
Two new 2008 Presidential general election polls focusing on Tennessee have been released. An MTSU poll released at 11:30am today shows the Tennessee Democratic establishment having a hard time swaying a large portion of Clinton supporters to vote for Barack Obama. A Mason-Dixon poll released over the weekend shows age and race of voters playing a role in who voters will chose. MTSU polling for the state of Tennessee showed a 12 point difference with McCain getting 48% to Obama's 36%. That split grows to 20 points in favor of McCain among likely voters (McCain 55% - Obama 35%). A quarter of Democrats who voted for Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary said they will now vote for McCain, according to the poll. 56% of Clinton supporters say they will vote for Obama and the rest remain undecided.
http://www.nashvilleistalking.com/node/72231
Tennessean political blog/Tennessean homepage (Sledge)
Memo to Gallup: Good luck finding those "undecideds"
The presidential debate next week at Belmont will have an audience composed of about 80 to 120 Middle Tennesseans whom the Gallup Organization identifies as undecided voters. They might have to make a few extra phone calls, according to the latest MTSU Poll, which found 25 undecided likely voters out of a sample of 357 Tennesseans -- a whopping 7 percent. (The figures grows to 10 percent for all Tennessee adults polled.)
http://tnelection.blogspot.com/2008/09/memo-to-gallup-good-luck-finding-those.html
|
Economy, jobs top list of voter concerns
Next week’s presidential debate in Nashville will bring senators Barack Obama and John McCain to the Democratic capital of a Republican state, the latest MTSU Poll suggests. The poll also finds that Tennesseans’ concern about the economy and jobs has reached an all-time high, while their satisfaction with national conditions has hit an all-time low, and their satisfaction with state conditions has reached its lowest point in two years. In the race for president, McCain leads Obama by 48 percent to 36 percent statewide, a double-digit lead with just 10 percent undecided and few Tennesseans inclined to change their minds, according to the poll. The Republican lead grows among the state’s likely voters, with 55 percent favoring McCain and 35 percent preferring Obama. |
http://www.murfreesboropost.com/news.php?viewStory=13209
WPLN Nashville Public Radio (Cardona)
There’s a deep divide in how Tennesseans perceive the state of the nation, even as an unusually high number agree on the country’s most pressing problem. Twice a year, the statewide MTSU poll asks people their opinion of the president, the economy and the direction the nation seems to be going, then compiles the results into what they call a barometer of national mood. Pollster Bob Wyatt says this time the gap in opinion between political groups is the biggest he’s seen in the poll’s 10 year history.
http://wpln.org/newstranscripts/?p=3283
Political Wire (this story linked to by Huffington Post)
MTSU Poll: McCain Makes Inroads With Clinton Voters
A new MTSU poll in Tennessee notes Sen. John McCain's campaign "seems to have had modest success" at attracting supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton. A quarter of those who voted for Clinton in Tennessee's Democratic presidential primary say that they would now vote for McCain in the general election. "However, 56% of those who report that they voted for Clinton in the primary say that they would now vote for Obama. The rest of Clinton's supporters remain undecided at this point or say they would vote for someone other than McCain or Obama." Overall, McCain leads Obama in the state, 48% to 36% with 10% still undecided.
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2008/09/29/mtsu_poll_mccain_makes_inroads_with_clinton_voters.html
Nashville Business Journal
MTSU poll: Tennesseans' concern about economy at all-time high
Economics are weighing heavy on the minds of many Tennesseans, according to a new poll by Middle Tennessee State University. The poll released this week finds that Tennesseans' concern about the economy and jobs has reached an all-time high, while their satisfaction with national conditions has hit an all-time low, and their satisfaction with state conditions has reached its lowest point in two years. More than half —53 percent — of Tennesseans name the economy and job issues as the number-one problem facing the nation, according to a release from MTSU.
http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/stories/2008/09/29/daily11.html?t=printable
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