A polling firm supposedly doing data gathering for Gov. John Lynch called my cell phone earlier today (it was a private number, so I can't look up the number to find out about the polling firm). It's the first time I have received such a call on the cell. I spent about 20 minutes talking to the kid, rating various things, and listening to test messages that the governor (or his campaign) are considering.
A few thoughts about the polling: First, the governor is going to rely on previous messages he has used - helping small biz, keeping taxes low, being a leader, etc. He also seems to be considering bringing up some of his previous private sector background, even though he hasn't worked in the private sector for what, eight years or so? In addition, Lynch only seems to be taking one Republican candidate seriously - John Stephen - since none of the other candidates, like Karen Testerman, was even mentioned in the questioning.
The campaign is also testing reactions to possible negative messages used by the Stephen campaign and talking points to attack Stephen, if things get ugly. I found some of the points against Stephen interesting, including whether or not Stephen is truly an outsider, since he has worked for various government entities for more than 20 years. Another issue that may get raised is Stephen's consulting business, in which he reportedly is advising government leaders in South Carolina to raise taxes (I don't know if this is true or what they were even talking about here. I know Stephen was involved in some situation with health care in Kentucky that a friend of mine mentioned to me years ago).
It's not even June yet, so it's a good time to be testing messages, it would seem. However, I wonder if Gov. Lynch is really that worried about re-election. If his strongest opponent is Stephen, he's probably a shoo-in.
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