Poll: John McCain Leading Ann Kirkpatrick By Nearly 20 Points
A new poll shows Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick is going to have to change a lot of minds if she hopes to oust Sen. John McCain in November.
The survey done this past week for NBC and the Wall Street Journal by the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion shows the five-term incumbent Republican with a 57-38 percent lead over his challenger. Just 6 percent said they were undecided or wanted someone else.
Kirkpatrick spokesman D.B. Mitchell said he's not buying it.
"The sample in no way representative of the likely voters in this race. And, laughably, John McCain's got, according to them, a 5-point lead among Latino voters despite McCain trailing in that demographic by several digits," Mitchell said.
Mitchell said that reflects McCain's support for Donald Trump. But Latinos appear to be making a distinction the state's senior senator and the New York billionaire: Just 26 percent said they are currently leaning toward voting for Trump.
What's also working against Kirkpatrick is the money factor. The most recent campaign filings last month showed McCain has more than $5 million in the bank, more than twice as much as she reported. But Mitchell said the campaign remains undeterred.
"We're really confident in the position and the program we've put together across the state, both of our media and our grassroots operation to reach out to voters," said Mitchell.
