The Mike Downs Political Center at IPFW has done Republican primary polling on both the U.S. Senate race and the 3rd District congressional race, and Dan at Angry White Boy is first with the news, as far as I can tell. In the 3rd, incumbent Mark Souder has 35 percent, followed by Bob Thomas at 29, Phil Troyer at 19 percent and Greg Dickman at 2 percent. Another 16 percent are undecided. In the Senate race, Dan Coats leads with 36 percent, followed by John Hostettler at 24, Marlin Stutzman at 18, Don Bates at 6 percent and Richard Behney at 4 percent. Another 13 percent are undecided.
Troyer is trying to make the best of his third-place showing. He sent out an e-mail trumpeting the fact that he is "quickly gaining ground on his primary opponents during the final days before the election." Guess one way to make 19 percent sound good is to admit being "probably in single digits two weeks ago."
Comments
I'd say Troyer is doing a good job of making the best of this polling. He's still a long-shot, but which of his opponents should find this poll to be better news? The eight term incumbent who barely has 1 in 3 Republican primary voters in his corner? The challenger who has spent much on a massive media blitz and remains behind an unpopular incumbent?
My guess is that publication of these results will add 6 to 8 points to Troyer's standing. It's pretty clear the voters want an alternative to Souder/Thomas.
Candidate Phil Troyer for Congress is a conservative who explicitly identifies his beliefs and values. He supports term limits for congress. This would provide the mechanism for new ideas, limits the concentration of power due to seniority and let