I say vote third party.
"Richard Tisei leads Rep. John Tierney in poll; Big hope for GOP; many undecided" by Michael Levenson |
Globe Staff, October 01, 2012
Republicans may have their best chance of winning a Massachusetts
congressional seat in nearly two decades with Richard R. Tisei pulling
six percentage points ahead of Representative John F. Tierney in a new
Boston Globe poll.
Tisei, a former state senator from Wakefield, leads Tierney, a Salem
Democrat, 37 percent to 31 percent among likely voters, with 30 percent
undecided.
The high percentage of undecided voters reflects the electorate’s
lack of knowledge of Tisei as well as Tierney’s relative unpopularity,
even among members of his own party, said Andrew E. Smith, the director
of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, which conducted the
poll.
“Tierney is vulnerable, very vulnerable,” Smith said. “He’s in really rough shape to pull this out, by historical standards.”
The findings suggest that unflattering attention from the illegal
gambling ring that was run by Tierney’s brothers-in-law has taken a
serious toll on the congressman’s reelection campaign, Smith said.
Tierney’s vulnerabilities, combined with Tisei’s relatively moderate
stances on many issues, have made the Sixth Congressional District race
one of the most competitive in Massachusetts and the most closely
watched nationally. If elected, Tisei would be the first openly gay
Republican congressman to disclose his sexual orientation before being
elected.
National Republicans are targeting Tierney with attack ads that
demand he “man up and tell the truth — the whole truth” about the
gambling operation. Tierney’s wife, Patrice, spent a month in federal
prison last year after pleading guilty to “willful blindness” while
managing a bank account for one of her brothers involved in the gambling
ring, and for helping that brother file false tax returns. John Tierney
has not been accused of any wrongdoing, and has said he had no
knowledge of any illegal activity. But the poll indicates his image has
been tarnished. In 2010, Tierney won handily with 57 percent of the
vote.
In the new Globe survey, just 32 percent of likely voters said they
view Tierney favorably, compared with 43 percent who viewed him
unfavorably. About 17 percent said they did not know enough about him,
despite his 16 years in Congress.
Even among Democratic voters, just a bare majority — 51 percent —
said they view Tierney favorably, while 26 percent viewed him
unfavorably....
The poll suggests Tierney’s best hope may be to capitalize on Tisei’s
relative anonymity to persuade voters that the Republican is an
unacceptable alternative....
Tierney has launched ads that link Tisei to Rush Limbaugh, Sarah
Palin, and Newt Gingrich — all polarizing figures in deep-blue
Massachusetts. Tierney has also argued that Tisei would empower
Republican leaders in the House who are far too conservative for the
district.
Republicans probably going to keep it anyway, so....
But even as he embarks on that effort, Tierney has yet to consolidate
support among members of his own party, a first step in any reelection
campaign.
He's getting cut loose, and rightfully so.
Only 54 percent of Democrats said they support Tierney, compared with
70 percent of Republicans who said they support Tisei. Independents
favor Tisei 39 percent to 23 percent.
Agnes Leavey, a 55-year-old homemaker from Lynn, exemplifies
Tierney’s challenge. Leavey, a Democrat, said she is voting for Barack
Obama for president and Elizabeth Warren for Senate but is not sure whom
to support for Congress.
“The problem with [Tierney’s] wife and all that — I’d like to find
out more information about it,” said Leavey, who responded to the poll
and agreed to a follow-up interview. “Naturally, I would lean more
toward the Democratic Party but, on the other hand, if I heard he did
something that was wrong, I wouldn’t vote for him.”
She obviously didn't read the Globe's trial coverage.
James Seaton, a 63-year-old unenrolled voter from Bedford who
responded to the poll, said he supports Warren for Senate but also has
reservations about voting for Tierney.
“Tierney is not charged with anything, but things smell a little
off,” said Seaton, who is unemployed and had been working in the
electronics industry.
Seaton said he is also concerned that Tisei “seems a bit more
conservative than I’d like.” For example, Seaton said, he believes tax
increases could help solve the federal budget crisis. Tisei has declined
to sign a no-new-taxes pledge but opposes Democratic plans to raise
taxes on the wealthy by allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire for those
earning more than $250,000 a year.
A small gender gap in the race favors Tisei. Men said they support
Tisei 45 percent to 26 percent while women support Tierney by a narrower
margin, 36 percent to 29 percent.
Daniel Fishman, a little-known Libertarian, is also in the race.
Though he was not included in the poll, 2 percent of respondents said
they would vote for a candidate other than Tierney or Tisei.
--more--"
Also see: Tierney vs. Tisei
