POLL: 89% OF GOP PRIMARY VOTERS WANT A CONSERVATIVE HOUSE SPEAKER

From the Heritage Alliance:

DALLAS, Dec. 8, 2010 – In the first round of an ongoing, informal telephone poll, Heritage Alliance found more than 89 percent of registered Republican primary voters in favor of a more conservative Texas House Speaker to lead next year’s session.

In polling that began one week after the November elections, Heritage Alliance surveyed 8,238 “1R” voters—those who had participated in at least one recent GOP primary— in 43 of 99 GOP-held State House districts. (Voters were not polled in 21 districts where the State Representative had already called for a new State House Speaker.)

When asked, “If you want your State Representative to support a true conservative Republican for House Speaker, instead of a moderate Republican, press 1,” more than 89 percent indicated they wanted a more conservative Speaker.

Michael Smith, Executive Vice President of Heritage Alliance, said his organization called only registered voters because, “to quote pollster Scott Rasmussen, it’s the people who vote who ultimately decide everything.

“These are the voters who show up even for the primaries, when 9 out of 10 registered voters stay home,” Smith added. “They pay attention, and they act. Clearly this matters to them.”

Voters who favored a more-conservative House Speaker were given the URL to Heritage Alliance’s advocacy site (www.txvoice.com) and invited to call or e-mail their State Representative directly. In the case of districts where new Representatives take office in January, respondents had the option of calling or e-mailing their Representative-Elect.

“The 30 new Republicans elected in November called themselves ‘conservative’ throughout their campaigns,” Smith added. “This poll tells us their voters expect them to fulfill that promise.”

As of December 8, Heritage Alliance had polled less than half the 1R voters in 43 State House districts. Polling is expected to continue in these and additional districts for several weeks.

www.heritagealliance.com