Wow, I am speechless.Today's Hotline reports, "SurveyUSA conducted an automated telephone poll of 524 likely GOP voters 5/20-5/22 (MoE +/- 4.4%).
'94 candidate/ex-Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker (R) led with 38%, followed by '02 GOV nominee/ex-Rep. Van Hilleary (R) at 28% and '02 candidate/ex-Rep. Ed Bryant (R) with 23%, with 2% for other and 8% undecided (SurveyUSA.com, 5/23)."
This is a total 360 from the most recent polls which all showed Van Hilleary with a substantial lead in the race and Corker running a distant third.
So what could have brought about this huge bump?
Could it have been Corker's television ads? I was not that impressed, personally with the ads. However, did conservatives warm to Corker and his Momma? Or did they buy his slew of lies about his record as Mayor of Chattanooga? (Check this blog for more on that tomorrow)
Could the tag team truce between Van Hilleary and Ed Bryant have backfired and caused people to rally behind Corker, the underdog?
We may never know the cause, but it is clear that Corker got a a bump from something.
And not just any bump, the Momma Bump.
Democrats all across the state should be rejoicing right now because the Republicans are in disarray like never before.
Viva la Ford!
See the chart of results from this poll here!
More: It should be interesting to see how Van and Ed's camps try to spin these results.
I am guessing Blogging for Bryant blogger Jay Bush is deep in thought as we speak trying to think of someway to discredit the poll or to say that the poll suggests that Ed Bryant is in a great position to win.
Stay tuned.
Update: Just as I predicted, Jay Bush has managed to come up with another wack brained way of trying to discredit this poll and its results.
Bush writes, "I'm a bit skeptical of the automated SurveyUSA polls. Five days ago SurveyUSA polled the Republican Senate primary in Tennessee and showed Van Hilleary at 40%, Ed Bryant at 28%, Other at 23%, and 9% undecided.
Bob Corker wasn't even included in that poll. This week SurveyUSA polls Corker at 38%, Hilleary at 28%, Bryant at 23% and 8% undecided.It's amazing how in five days Corker can go from not being deemed worthy to be included in a SurveyUSA poll to being the frontrunner with a double-digit lead. I would certainly expect Corker to get a boost during the period his TV ads are running unopposed, but on May 9 the Nashville City Paper/WWTN poll had Corker at 19%, I find it difficult to believe he's doubled his support in just two weeks..... but whatever.
The only poll that matters is on election day.
Looks like JB needs to get a grip on reality and realize his candidate is now in dead last.
Say goodbye to Ed and JB.
139 Days
Days of Congressional Inaction on Ethics
Above is the number of days that have passed since Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty to bribing Congressman.
It is also the number of days in which Congress has failed to pass an ethics reform bill that would limit private travel, ski and golf junkets, and would call for a full disclosure of expenses by lobbyists on members of Congress.
It is time for Congress to step up and pass an ethics reform bill that would do all of the above. In addition, it is time to end the pork barrel spending system as we know it and establish an independent ethics commission that would review ethics complaints against members of Congress.
I am proud Congressman Harold Ford Jr. is fighting for that reform!
Read Congressman Ford's call for reform of the House rules here!
