Thought you all would be interested in this report from Don Walton in yesterday’s Lincoln Journal-Star:
Attorney General Jon Bruning led a December poll measuring the strength of potential Republican successors to Sen. Chuck Hagel if Hagel chooses not to seek re-election next year.
The survey was commissioned by David Sokol of Omaha, chairman and CEO of MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company. The results have been making the rounds in GOP circles in Omaha and Lincoln.
Here are some of the matchups in the poll:
* Bruning, 52 percent; [Former Omaha Mayor Hal] Daub, 20 percent.
* Bruning, 54 percent; [2006 nominee Pete] Ricketts, 24 percent.
* Bruning, 38 percent; [Rep. Lee] Terry, 22 percent.
* Bruning, 40 percent; [Rep. Jeff] Fortenberry, 20 percent.
* Bruning, 36 percent; Ricketts, 21 percent; Daub, 16 percent, in a three-way race.
Here is what is most interesting about these results, to me:
– They are intentionally skewed in favor of Bruning, using two-way matchups to overstate the actual support that Bruning has among Republican primary voters.
– That said, they do demonstrate that Bruning is relatively strong at this early stage.
– It’s very interesting that despite his horrendous performance in the 2006 general, Ricketts draws anywhere from 21-25% support among Republicans.
Now, there is still no telling who is running in 2008, and a poll 16 months out from the primary doesn’t do us a whole lot of good. But it provides an interesting snapshot – and a very clear indication that Jon Bruning is running for Senate in 2008.