Leaked polling memo shows Ala. GOP legislature popular, AEA unpopular with voters

A recently-conducted Alabama statewide survey obtained by Yellowhammer News gives detailed insight into Alabamians’ opinion of the Republican legislature and the state’s most powerful liberal special interest group, the Alabama Education Association (AEA).

According to the poll, which was leaked to Yellowhammer by a GOP legislator on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to share it publicly, roughly three-quarters (73%) of GOP primary voters approve of the job that Republicans are doing in the State Legislature, while only 23% disapprove.

Conversely, almost two-thirds (63%) have an unfavorable opinion of the AEA, including 38% who hold a “very” unfavorable opinion of the group, which has been the primary antagonist to conservatives in the State Legislature for decades.

The poll was conducted by McLaughlin & Associates, one of the most well-known public opinion research firms in the country. It surveyed 600 likely Republican primary election voters in the State of Alabama between April 7-8. It has an accuracy of +/- 4% at a 95% confidence interval.

Here are some other interesting data points gleaned from the poll:

Opinion of the “New Republican Majority”
• Favorable: 59%
• Unfavorable: 17%
• No opinion: 16%
• Never heard of: 8%

Opinion of the job their own state legislator is doing
• Approve: 69%
• Disapprove: 22%
• Don’t know: 10%

Opinion of the Republican Majority’s job performance on specific issues (Approve / Disapprove)
• Creating jobs and improving the economy: 76% / 21%
• Fighting against President Obama and Washington, D.C. liberals: 65% / 29%
• Holding the line on taxes and reducing wasteful spending: 62% / 33%
• Reforming state government and bringing honesty and integrity to Alabama: 61% / 36%

Opinion of the Alabama Education Association (AEA)
• Favorable: 28%
• Unfavorable: 63% (up 7% in the past two months)

Opinion of the AEA’s political views
• Liberal: 67% (up 4% in the past two months)
• Moderate: 17%
• Conservative 5%

When asked if they would be more or less likely to vote for an AEA-backed candidate:
• More likely: 14%
• Less likely: 61%
• No difference: 22%

Jim McLaughlin and Rob Schmidt of McLaughlin & Associates also included a brief analysis of the survey in the polling memo.

“Despite nearly $1 million being spent against them by liberal special interests, the Republican Majority in the Alabama State Legislature remains quite popular with the Republican and conservative base,” they wrote. “Republican primary voters see the Republican Majority as true conservatives and it is no surprise that the negatives and liberal associations with the Alabama Education Association continue to rise.”

Does anything in the poll surprise you? Let us know in the comments or by tweeting us @YHPolitics.

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