CD10: Garamendi polls the district
By lvorderbrueggen
Tuesday, August 4th, 2009 at 3:21 pm in 2009 CD10 special election.
Garamendi
DeSaulnier
Congressional candidate and Lt. Gov. John Garamendi is polling in the 10th District. That’s not unusual.
But campaigns usually keep the contents of their surveys top secret (for as long as possible, anyway) except for the bits and pieces they view as advantageous, which they gleefully leak.
So, precisely how did Katie Merrill, the chief campaign consultant for rival and state Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, learn all the questions?
No, she did not go Dumpster-diving behind the pollster’s office building
They called her on the phone.
Yep, Merrill was one of the folks surveyed by telephone yesterday. And yes, she took notes. Detailed notes. (Maybe I’m naive but you’d think someone would have read over the caller list and struck Merrill from its pages but nonetheless, we at the Inside Politics blog are grateful for the oversight.)
Here’s a rundown of what Merrill sent me from her notes during the survey.
The surveyor asked some of the typical questions, such as whether or not the country is on the right or wrong track along with the favorable or unfavorable ratings of President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton, the California Legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Among Garamendi’s 13 challengers, he apparently only views five worthy of asking voters’ views about: His fellow Democrats DeSaulnier, Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan, Anthony Woods, Adriel Hampton and one of the six Republicans, David Harmer.
The pollster offered positive statements about each of the five challengers candidates followed by a series of negative statements. The idea is to see what iissues, both positive and negative, resonate with voters.
For example, Merrill was asked if she though Buchanan and DeSaulnier were responsible for the state budget problems.
She was asked if she thought Garamendi was just out looking for another job or if she thought he was carpetbagger because he lives outside the 10th District. (The law only requires candidates to live in California, not within the boundaries of the Congressional district.)
Much of the balance of the survey focused on Merrill’s views of Garamendi’s attributes such as his relationship with Clinton, time as state insurance commissioner, views on the environment and green energy, and work on health care reform.
From the contents of this survey, Garamendi appears to be testing whether his lengthy public service record will overcome whatever doubts voters have about his lack of residency in District 10. Watch your mailbox and cable advertising to see what he decides.
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August 4th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Garamendi’s greatest strength is that everybody has heard of him. His greatest weakness may be that nearly everybody has already made up their mind about him.
August 4th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
You have to wonder about pollsters sometimes! Calling one of your opponents chief campaign consultants was not a smart thing.
With DeSaulnier part of the Contra Costa Democrat “machine” and Buchanan just a “tenderfoot” in the State Assembly, to me, amongst the Democrats, John Garamendi would best serve the interests of CD-10.
I spent a hour with Republican CD-10 candidate David Harmer, and I can honestly say that I am very impressed with him (and I don’t get impressed easily). He is not dogmatic and knows that he would be able to work with members of the other party in Congress.
End result: The two top candidates for CD-10 are Harmer and Garamendi.
August 4th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
Hey Arne, I guess you Republican think Garamendi is the weakest Democrat in the field!
August 4th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
Maybe the polls were really interested in what the DeSaulnier people think. Every time a DeSaulnier campaign manager mentions Garamendi’s name, that’s free publicity for Garamendi–for both of them, as a matter of fact. They will all have to get behind whoever wins the primary, so it’s not really a knock-down free-for-all at this point. I think you have to be young or new at politics to make it into some kind of holy war. It’s sufficient that they attempt to distinguish themselves from Republicans. They are NOT all the same.
August 5th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
Harmer’s deep roots in BIG MONEY would make him a perfect fit for the District considering Tauscher was a strong supporter of the banking business over the peoples’ business
- First Vice President & Assistant General Counsel at JPMorgan Chase
- First Vice President & Assistant General Counsel at Washington Mutual Bank
- Senior Vice President & Associate General Counsel at Providian Financial
What with Obama naming so many BIG MONEY players to further game the system and the Fed. Harmer would be perfect for the job. He might even be the Democrats’ strongest candidate come to think of it.
August 5th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
I don’t see Contra Costa voters supporting Garamendi, who has long represented the spawling, congested, smog-choked Sacramento Valley in the legislature. As a longtime Sacramento area legislator Garamendi was responsible for a lot of this sprawl and smog. Sacramento politicians, like Garamendi, let the developers run wild in the 70’s and 80’s. So Garamendi just doesn’t match up well with De Saulnier, who is a smart growth advocate, and a statewide expert on polution (he served on the Air Resources Board). If you compare the two, it’s a no brainer, DeSaulnier is the Green candidate while Garamendi is the smog and sprawl candidate. DeSaulnier is a fresh-faced guy with new ideas about how to stop global warming and minimize polution, while Garamendi is a tired old hack from the 70’s. This is why all the enviromental groups are supporting DeSaulnier, I think.
August 5th, 2009 at 11:18 pm
Rich, what have you been smoking?
Where did you find it?
Is there any left?
Can I have some?
The blessed enviro Marky Mark presided over most of the growth in CoCo County when he was on the BOS.
Rich, just in case you’re unaware, zoning decisions are not made by legislators and statewide elected officials. They’re made by local city councils, BOS and planning commissions.
See also: Marky Mark
Rich, your rhetoric is riduculous.
August 5th, 2009 at 11:24 pm
I meant to say that Rich’s rhetoric about the sainted Marky Mark is RIDICULOUS.
According to Rich, Marky Mark is a blessed saint and Garamendi is the embodiment of all evil.
Marky Mark is so wonderful, I don’t know why he hasn’t ascended directly to heaven!
August 6th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
How long have Garamendi and Mark been in Sacramento? Since Earl Warren’s last teerm?
August 6th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
RR, DeSaulnier has only been in Sacramento since the 2006 election. He did one term in the Assembly and then ran for the Senate in 2008 when Torlakson was termed out.
Torlakson had only previously served two terms in the Assembly, which is why he ran for the Assembly in 2008 so he could spent two years running for State Superintendent of Instruction (instead of representing AD-11).
August 6th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
Thx for the info, Arne. Maybe their tenures seem longer because those guys are so boring!
August 9th, 2009 at 3:27 am
The September 1 Open Primary represents a rare opportunity, regionally at least, to break the political polarization that has gripped our state and nation since the move from National Convention selection of Presidential / Vice Presidential candidates to selection of delegates via Presidential Primaries, after the Eagleton situation. In an Open Primary, of course, voters registered Democrat may vote for a Republican, and vice versa.
August 21st, 2009 at 3:30 pm
HAHA Rich!
You are right. Garamendi IS a smoke and smog filled hack, and is CLEARLY against protecting the environment.
-That’s probably why the Sierra Club (one of the largest environmental groups) has endorsed him.
-He definitely belongs in the city, even though he lives on his ranch in the countryside.
-You know those windmills in Solano County. Yeah, he put those up.
You sir, are an imbecile