Post-Dispatch via Johncombest:
Gov. Jay Nixon remains a “solid favorite” in his reelection bid but he may face a closer race than he did four years ago, according to the latest poll on the Missouri governor’s race from North Carolina-based Public Policy Polling.
The national polling firm’s May 24-27 survey is its first on the governor’s race since a January poll that also showed Nixon in the lead but by a wider margin.
“Jay Nixon remains a clear favorite for reelection, but it’s unlikely he’ll be able to match his 20-point margin of victory from 2008,” PPP President Dean Debnam said in a news release.
Nixon’s Republican challenger will be decided in the August primary. The poll released today shows St. Louis businessman and presumptive frontrunner Dave Spence has “opened up a big lead” over Kansas City attorney Bill Randles. With less than three months to go, Spence is ahead 32-11, according to the poll results.
When matched up for the November election, PPP’s poll showed Nixon leading Spence by 11 points (45-34) and Randles by 14 (46-32).
Still, Spence and Randles – two relative newcomers on the state political stage – have significantly narrowed the gap between themselves and Nixon in the five months since the last poll, the firm notes.
Democrat-affiliated PPP surveyed 602 Missouri voters, including an oversample of 430 Republican primary voters, through automated telephone interviews for its latest poll. The firm claims a +/-4% margin of error. The poll was not conducted on behalf of any campaign or political organization.
