The old joke has been that if “None of the Above” was on the ballot one year voters might choose it, given the dissatisfaction with both parties. In the state of Nevada, a poll indicates “None of the Above” is gaining steam — and they can cast their votes for NotA, too:
Nevada voters get to do what most Americans don’t: They can vote for “none of the above.”
And a new survey in the deadlocked battle between Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Republican challenger Sharron
Angle indicates that one in ten Nevada voters are planning to do just that.According to a CNN/Time/Opinion Research Corporation poll released Wednesday, 42 percent of likely voters in Nevada are backing Angle, who enjoys strong support from many in the Tea Party movement, with four in ten supporting Reid, the top Democrat in the Senate who’s bidding for a fifth term in the chamber. Seven percent of people questioned are supporting Scott Ashjian, who is running as a Tea Party candidate, but who is shunned by many in the grassroots conservative moment, and 10 percent say they are voting for none of the candidates listed.
Angle’s two point advantage over Reid is well within the survey’s sampling error. Angle had a one point margin over Reid in a CNN/Time poll conducted in mid September.
The poll indicates that Angle enjoys a ten point advantage among independent voters and a 14 point advantage among men, with Reid leading by 12 points among women.
According to the survey, Angle has a five point margin with voters 65 and older. Reid’s campaign has put up ads on Nevada television saying that Angle wants to get rid of Social Security, with the former state lawmaker denies.
The poll is notable for another reason: it shows how unpopular Harry Reid is with many in his own state, and reportedly not just for political reasons. Some folks simply don’t like him. So some will hold their noses and vote for Angle, who’ll get the Tea Party vote. That race has long been like a see-saw but this poll shows the trending is not going in Reid’s way.
Also notable: Angle is one of the key GOPers using the tactic of fleeing from reporters and avoiding questioning, unless its being interviewed by a de facto Republican Party p.r. representative Sean Hannity who throws more softballs to Republicans running for office than campers at Camp Laurelwood in Connecticut have thrown in the camp’s entire history. If she wins, look for this tactic to gain ground — and for Democrats to eventually use the same approach. Why be accountable to the public and have to answer questions when you can get some partisan to ask you questions that make you look good and not ask questions that force you to explain assertions or political charges?
The None of the Above vote will likely be watched by the gazillioinaries who have even a fleeting thought of running for President in 2010. It could signal to them that there is an opening for a REAL (political) outsider within one of the major parties or a third party.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.