Hassebrook Within Seven Points in Governor’s Race

Omaha, NE – A Rasmussen poll released on Sunday that shows Chuck Hassebrook is within seven points of Republican opponent, Pete Ricketts.

The poll was conducted on May 14^th and May 15^th and surveyed 750 likely voters. Of those surveyed:

·         50% were men and 50% were women. Women were underrepresented in results by 2% — of the total registered voters in Nebraska, 52% are women, and 48% are men.

·         48% were Republicans, 28% were Democrats, and 24% were unaffiliated with either party.

Survey results show that 47% of those surveyed supported Ricketts, while 40% supported Hassebrook. This single-digit lead is well under the double-digit registration advantage that Republicans hold – 50% of registered voters in Nebraska are Republicans, while 30% are Democrats.

Additionally, among those surveyed 41% viewed Ricketts unfavorably, nearly twice that of Hassebrook (25%). Finally, only 6% were unsure or didn’t know Ricketts, which is nearly six times fewer than Hassebrook (35%). This shows that there is a much greater likelihood for Hassebrook to gain favorable ground with voters than Ricketts, who has run multiple campaigns and has already polarized voters.

This initial poll is important for a few reasons. The survey was conducted on the first two days after a brutal Republican primary battle that dominated the airwaves for months. Ricketts and outside groups spent millions of dollars promoting his campaign and attacking his opponents, and won by the least number of votes in 100 years, while Hassebrook, who ran unopposed, did not spend any money on television or radio ads before the primary election. Ricketts has previously run in a high profile race, voters have examined him, and even after his most recent campaign he has not gained any ground.

The results of the Rasmussen poll indicate that voters have made up their minds about Ricketts – not favorably – and therefore may be open to supporting another candidate that is not affiliated with their own registered party.

Chuck Hassebrook