Taylor, Coleman release dueling internal polling in AL-02 GOP primary

Yellowhammer News has obtained fresh internal polling data from the respective campaigns of Prattville businesswoman Jessica Taylor and Wiregrass businessman Jeff Coleman, both Republican candidates in Alabama’s Second Congressional District.

Taylor released a poll memo Wednesday evening. Her campaign’s survey was conducted by Osage Research, a national research firm. The poll was conducted February 3-4 via interactive voice response (a form of robo-call utilizing automated voice technology). The survey measured 400 likely GOP primary voters, having a margin of error of ±4.9%.

The memo released by Taylor’s campaign featured a full-field ballot test (when voters are asked who they would vote for if the primary were held today) and favorability comparisons for each of the leading candidates.

On the ballot test, Coleman led with 36%, followed by former Alabama Attorney General Troy King at 18%, Taylor at 13% and former State Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) at 11%. Lesser-known candidates got 7% combined, and 15% of respondents were undecided.

Moving to favorability ratings, Coleman also led with a 24-percentage point net favorability — 45% viewed him favorably, and 21% responded unfavorably.

For Taylor, 27% viewed her favorably compared to only 7% unfavorably. Her name identification was 22% lower than Coleman’s.

Next, 37% viewed King favorably, compared to 28% unfavorably. For Moore, 28% responded favorably and 17% unfavorably.

Taylor’s campaign hailed these results as a sign of momentum, pointing to her growth on the ballot test compared to an independent poll conducted January 14-15. This latest survey came after Taylor ran her first ad, “My Squad,” for just over 1,000 points in the Montgomery media market.

Bryan Hood, campaign manager for Jessica Taylor stated, “These polling numbers show what we’ve known internally for some time, as voters learn about Jessica Taylor’s conservative agenda to protect life, defend the 2nd Amendment, and support President Trump, she surges in the polls. Our campaign is fired up about these results and we look forward to driving home her conservative message in the final weeks of this campaign.”

Coleman’s campaign emphasized that their own internal poll conducted in recent days shows very different results.

Victory Phones conducted a survey January 30-February 1, also measuring 400 likely GOP primary voters. The poll had a margin of error of ±4.9%, utilizing a hybrid method of 75% autodial and 25% live caller.

Yellowhammer News obtained the ballot test results from this survey.

Coleman garnered 44%, followed by King at 17%, Taylor at 10% and Moore at 9%. A total of 19% were undecided.

The primary will be held March 3.

Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn