Two polls show Washington governor’s race a dead heat
Nov 1, 2012, 9:28 AM | Updated: 1:11 pm
The race for governor is a dead heat just five days before election day, according to a new KING 5 poll.
The poll, conducted by SurveyUSA Oct. 28-31, finds Democrat Jay Inslee at 47 percent while Republican Rob McKenna is at 46 percent – within the poll’s margin of error.
A separate poll for KCTS 9, conducted by the University of Washington, shows Inslee with 48.7 support compared to 45.6 percent for McKenna among likely voters. The margin of error is 3.9 percent. The poll was conducted among 632 likely voters Oct. 18-31.
Associate professor of political science, Matt Barreto, says independent voters might hold the key to victory for McKenna.
“McKenna has an approximately 21 percent lead over Inslee among independent voters,” said Barreto. “Now, independent voters, those who identify as independents without partisan attachment, tend to be less likely to vote.”
The KCTS 9 poll also shows that tax limiting Initiative 502 is favored by 52 percent of voters. Larger percentages of registered voters favor initiatives to allow charter schools, decriminalize marijuana, and legalize same-sex marriage.
In the KING 5 poll, McKenna has continued closing the gap the past month. Four weeks ago, Inslee held a five point lead in the poll. A big factor will be undecided voters, with seven percent saying they still haven’t made up their mind.
While Inslee’s lead has slipped, the KING 5 poll finds no change in the presidential race in Washington, with Democrat Barack Obama maintaining a 14-point lead over Republican Mitt Romney, 54 percent to 40 percent.
The KING 5 poll also shows the race tightening for Referendum 74, with 52 percent approving the measure legalizing same-sex measure, 43 percent opposed. Five percent say they remain undecided. The measure slipped two points since the last poll two weeks ago.
The measure to legalize marijuana continues enjoying widespread support, with 56 percent saying they’ll approve I-502, 37 percent saying they would reject, and 7 percent not sure.
The poll of 555 likely voters has a margin of error of 4.2 percent
KIRO Radio’s Tim Haeck contributed to this report.
