http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/knau/local-knau-921212.mp3
Phoenix, AZ – Rasmussen said the race for governor is nothing short of amazing.
At the beginning of the year he said no one -- himself included -
- would have presumed Jan Brewer would coast to victory in the
Republican primary, much less that she had a chance of winning a
full term.
(But the dynamics have changed. Gov. Brewer solidified her status
in a major way by signing the immigration law, on top of that by
the way she defended her position. But quite frankly, by the way
she was attacked by people outside the state, she built up a
level of support.)
Brewer is now up by 19 points. Rasmussen said that, in his words,
mere campaign tactics won't change that. What has to change is
the conversation. Goddard has been trying to do that by talking
about the economy and the state's 9.6 percent jobless rate.
Rasmussen said the economy is a top issue nationwide.
(And yet the people who think the economy's in tough shape and
getting worse are tending to support Republicans more than
Democrats. Because right now the blame is being focused at
Washington, not state government.)
And that, Rasmussen said, may be an impossible hurdle for Goddard
to overcome. For Arizona Public Radio this is Howard Fischer.