Republicans are up 14 points against Democrats in races for statewide office in Alabama, according to a new poll by Cygnal, a Montgomery-based research firm.
Republicans currently lead Democrats 55 percent to 41 percent on the generic ballot, something we should expect according to Brett Cowden, Cygnal’s VP of Client Strategy.
“It should be no surprise that Republicans are marching to victory in November in Alabama,” Cowden said in a statement. “With a booming economy, unemployment at record lows, and a ticket featuring one of the most popular governors in the country, Republicans have the perfect recipe for a sweep in the general election.”
The poll found that support for Gov. Ivey is at 56 percent to 42 percent for her opponent, Walt Maddox.
The 42 percent number seems high for Maddox but not when considered along with generic ballot numbers, Cowden said.
“When you view it in light of the generic ballot, where you see the generic Democrat gets 41 percent and that’s right around where Maddox is, it shows that they’ve got a base but it’s a pretty low ceiling,” Cowden told Yellowhammer News in an interview.
“You see that with every Democrat in these races,” he said. “They’re all right there at that generic ballot number.”
According to the poll, 53 percent of voters support Republican Will Ainsworth for lieutenant governor, while 41 percent supports Democrat Will Boyd.
Similarly, Republican Steve Marshall leads Democrat Joseph Siegelman 55 percent to 42 percent.
Though Republicans are performing strongly in Alabama, Cowden said the new Alabama poll numbers don’t tell us how well they will perform across the country in November.
“I think what it shows is that this cycle is very regional,” he said. “For all the predictions of a blue wave, that could occur in some areas but certainly doesn’t appear to have much chance of happening in Alabama.”
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