Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Raleigh—Larry Kissell, the Democratic nominee in the 8th Congressional District, is showing strength in his race against Republican Congressman Robin Hayes according to a poll released today.

The poll, by Anzalone Liszt Research, shows Hayes under 50% of the vote, an ominous sign for an incumbent. Furthermore, the poll says that "A majority (52%) of voters give the economy in their area of North Carolina a negative rating. It is clear that voters believe CAFTA and 'fast track' legislation has hurt the local economy and 59% are less likely to vote for Hayes because of his support for these two measures, after initially opposing them."

When voters learned more about the candidates, Kissell leads Hayes 49% to 42%, an astonishing figure considering Hayes' high name recognition.

North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Jerry Meek made this statement, "This poll confirms what many of us have known for a while: the 8th District will be one of the most competitive districts this year and Democrats are poised to defeat Robin Hayes. This has always been a swing seat and these poll numbers show that Hayes is beatable. Larry Kissell is the real deal. In a year when the electorate is tired of business as usual in Washington, Larry Kissell is connecting with regular working people--the same people Robin Hayes has sold out with his flip-flopping and rubber stamping for the Republican leadership."