A new poll shows voters in the 36th Congressional District giving an edge to challenger Dr. Raul Ruiz (D-Coachella) over incumbent Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack (R-Palm Springs). The figures were released today by the Ruiz campaign.
The poll by Lake Research Partners, shows Ruiz with a three point lead, 46% to 43%, and his first lead in the campaign. The poll has a 4.9% margin of error.
Lake Research Partners has done polling for a number of Democrats previously.
The poll of 406 likely voters in California's 36th Congressional District was conducted by telephone, in English and Spanish, from October 2 - 4, 2012.
This poll was conducted prior to a televised debate between the two on October 12.
"This shows that all of the momentum is on Dr. Ruiz' side, and that his message of protecting Medicare for the over 140,000 seniors in the district and creating jobs right here in the Coachella Valley is really resonating with voters," said Patrick Boland, spokesman for Dr. Ruiz.
Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack's campaign says the truth is quite different.
According to a statement released to Palm Desert Patch, a poll last week by Arthur Finkelstein and Associates shows voters support Bono Mack by a 54.7 percent to 38 percent margin.
The Finkelstein poll was of 300 likely voters and has a margin of error of 5.6%.
“Our polling has consistently shown Congresswoman Bono Mack with a strong lead despite the unrelenting attacks of Nancy Pelosi’s allies and liberal groups,” said Marc Troast, political director for the Bono Mack campaign. “Voters in the 36th District know that Congresswoman Bono Mack has a record of service and leadership and support her by a wide margin.”
The numbers in the current poll are consistent with polling throughout the campaign, Troast said. They are in stark contrast to curious figures released by the Ruiz campaign, he said.
Troast noted that in May, Lake Research showed a dead heat in the campaign to recall Wisconsin governor Scott Walker. In the election a week later, Walker trounced the recall effort by a 10 percent margin.
