INDIANAPOLIS – With nearly five months to go until the GOP Senate primary, the vast majority of Hoosier Republicans are still undecided between the three front-runners, setting the stage for the ‘nastiest race in politics’ to get even nastier as the three candidates rush to define each other to the GOP base before each can define himself in a positive light.
The new internal poll from Congressman Rokita’s campaign given to Politico’s Morning Score gives Congressman Rokita a lead. But more shocking is the strong majority of GOP primary voters who are still on the fence—even though all three major candidates have been in the race for nearly half a year and have been slinging mud for much longer. 58% of voters surveyed were still undecided between the three front-runners.
Despite the high-profile nature of the primary since the summer, the huge number of undecided primary voters suggests that Congressman Rokita’s, Congressman Messer’s and Rep. Braun’s nearly identical policies have made it hard for interested voters to choose between them. It’s also just as likely that the numerous scandals and personal attacks that have dominated the primary have already turned voters off from the three candidates. That lack of interest and the level of vitriol will only increase as the race gets closer to May and Congressmen Messer and Rokita join Rep. Braun on television in the coming months.
“Congressman Rokita, Congressman Messer and Rep. Braun have worked overtime to discredit one another with personal attacks and daily mudslinging, so it’s no surprise that the majority of primary voters still have no idea what they actually stand for,” said Michael Feldman, spokesman for the Indiana Democratic Party. “We’re nearly half a year into ‘the GOP’s nastiest primary,’ and nearly sixty percent of Republican voters still haven’t been convinced to support one of their deeply flawed candidates. The next five months of nastier mudslinging won’t help either.”
###