Change in Select A Candidate - Hatch

Posted at 3:13 PM on October 25, 2006 by Bob Collins (2 Comments)

I'm making a change in the options for the Select A Candidate module for Minnesota governor.

Specifically, the "opposed" response to the question of a gas tax is no longer linked to Mike Hatch.

Here's how I explain it on the page of candidate positions:

"I can tell you right now the public isn't interested in a gas-tax increase," Hatch said on MPR on March 7, 2006. He said the governor needs to "sell the idea" and he said he wouldn't support it until that is done.

However, on October 25, 2006, Hatch said, "I would not stand in the way of an increase in the gas tax as
long as it was reasonable. The veto should be
ultilized when the governor believes the Legislature is not
representing the will of the people."

Comments (2)

Bob, as an FYI, Peter Hutchinson is now using Select a Candidate data as a billboard. I saw it on Westbound 94 at Snelling Ave today.
The premise is that 51% of the people who have taken the survey (as of the date they chose) agreed most closely with him on the issues.

Posted by MR | October 25, 2006 5:47 PM

His campaign sent out a press release this morning. I've got it around here somewhere.

Of course, the fact that XX% might agree with him on the issues doesn't mean that XX% intend to vote for him. Tim Penny is proof of that. The "electability factor" comes into play for people.

Besides, I'm not sure anyone who finished #1 in SAC has ever won an election. I vaguely remember Dennis Kucinich being up there for a long time.

Anyway, right around SAC goes throught he roof in traffic. The release this morning said 3,000 people have taken it since the primary. AS of this evening, it's about 7,000 and we'll process about 1,500 per day this week and that'll get up to several thousands per day next week and about 20,000 during the last few days of the election, I'd guess.

Here's that release.

-----------

Peter Hutchinson Leads the Field at 51 Percent

Peter Hutchison may be trailing in some polls, but a respected “blind taste test” of Minnesotans has him winning by a landslide where it matters most — on the issues. Billboards and statewide newspaper ads will present this data and get Minnesotans to look at the numbers in a whole new way.

The ad campaign is based on data taken from the Select-A-Candidate tool on the Minnesota Public Radio Website (www.minnesotapublicradio.org). Site visitors take a blind “issues test” to see which candidate best matches their views on key issues facing Minnesota government. Based on their answers, the online tool calculates which major-party gubernatorial candidate most closely aligns with their views. With more than 3000 participants since the September 12 primary, Peter Hutchinson is the clear winner at 51 percent. Tim Pawlenty is at 22 percent and Mike Hatch is at
27 percent. (Figures taken from the MPR Web site as of October 20, 2006.)

“We think it’s important that people know about this,” explained Steve Struthers, campaign manager for Hutchinson for Minnesota. “It proves that when voters use the issues to determine who should be governor, Peter is the overwhelming choice.”

Hutchinson added, “My common-sense policies and ideas for leading Minnesota forward align with what people are looking for from their government. I recommend that people take the `taste test’ and find out for themselves which candidate best matches their views.”

The billboard and newspaper ad campaign was developed for the Hutchinson campaign by Spyglass Creative of Minneapolis.

Posted by Bob Collins | October 25, 2006 5:53 PM

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