A newly leaked poll commissioned by a national Democratic Super PAC reveals “a difficult" but winnable race for Washington’s 8th Congressional District, one of 23 districts in the nation won by Hillary Clinton but currently held by a Republican.
Republican Dino Rossi, running to replace the retiring incumbent Dave Reichert, leads in initial match-ups against the three Democratic frontrunners, Jason Rittereiser, Dr. Kim Schrier and Dr. Shannon Hader, all first-time candidates.
The poll, commissioned by the House Majority PAC, finds Rossi, a former state senator and three-time statewide candidate, maintains "unusually high name ID and a well-defined positive profile."
However, the survey of 900 likely voters shows the race tightening following additional information about candidates as well as targeted negative messaging against Rossi.
The poll also gives an advantage to Democrat Jason Rittereiser, the only candidate who moves ahead of Rossi in the “post-message” survey, and finds his profile as the "highest scoring," once more information was given to Democratic and Independent voters surveyed.
Margin of error: +/- 5.7 percentage point
“The most important takeaway from this poll is that Dino Rossi can be beaten and, despite spending tens of millions of dollars losing three statewide elections, finds himself in an incredibly vulnerable position,” said Jeb Fain, a spokesman for the House Majority PAC. “The poll also shows that all of the leading Democrats are competitive with Rossi.”
But, the poll memo itself calls Rittereiser the strongest general election candidate, noting his ties to the eastern part of the district, even though Schrier leads in the hypothetical primary vote, and also in actual campaign donations.
The Schrier campaign questions the messaging emphasized in the poll, which appears to be economic focused, and faults it for not also focusing on healthcare and women’s issue.
“The poll memo itself acknowledges that Democrats need to win among Independent women, but then apparently failed to test any messaging that would appeal to women specifically,” said Katie Rodihan, a spokeswoman for the Schrier campaign.
Her campaign also accuses the House Majority PAC of trying to influence the primary cycle.
“We’ve been told that they shared it with a wide group of donors, in what seems to be an attempt to push support away from the Democratic frontrunner,” continued Rodihan.
Statements form campaigns on poll:
Rossi campaign:
“The memo makes clear that Nancy Pelosi's attack machine is gearing up to help install a member of Congress who will help elect her Speaker, but it's gratifying to know that voters in the district remember that Dino is a fiscal conservative with a social conscience,” said Andrew Bell, a spokesman for the Rossi campaign.
Candidate Kim Schrier:
“DC insiders want voters to think that a regular mom and community pediatrician can’t make a difference. 25 years ago, the same thing was said about a mom in tennis shoes – today, Patty Murray is the most powerful woman in the Senate,” said Schrier.
“I’m not going to trust a flawed DC insider poll, but I am going to trust the voters I talk to every day who tell me they’re tired of insiders making decisions about women’s reproductive rights,” I trust that it’s time to send a woman doctor to Congress who can fight for women and families and who understands how to fix our healthcare system.
Candidate Jason Rittereiser
“This independent poll confirms what we’ve known since the start of this campaign. This is going to be a close election, and we’ll need the support of independent voters from both sides of the mountains to elect the first Democrat in this district’s history,” said Rittereiser.
Shannon Hader Campaign
"This is just one of what will be many, many polls in this race. Shannon is working hard to earn the support of the voters in the 8th district and is focused on doing the hard work needed to win - at the doors, through endorsements, and among community leaders. That’s why we’re seeing an undeniable surge in momentum,” said Mike Bush, a spokesman for the Hader Campaign.
