Though the Oct. 24 primary is only a little more than a week away, a new survey by the LSU Public Policy Research Lab shows only about 40% of Louisianans are closely following the governor’s race.
And while this share is smaller than the 49% of Louisiana voters who closely followed last year’s U.S. Senate showdown, it is far more attention than what other state elections are receiving this year.
Only 29% of voters are following the elections for state Legislature, while 17% and 15% are following news about the elections for the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and lieutenant governor, respectively, the survey shows.
While the majority of Louisianans are still not paying attention to the governor’s and other races, more are tuned in than were in August, when an LSU PPRL survey showed 29% of voters were following the races. That figure was up from 25% in a survey conducted in March.
The growing attention to the campaign is reflected in growth of the share of voters who recognize Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle and state Rep. John Bel Edwards, the LSU survey says. Angelle’s name recognition doubled from 17% in March to 34% this fall. Recognition of Edwards grew from 24% to 32%.
With greater name recognition, U.S. Sen. David Vitter continues to lead in both the share of voters with a favorable opinion of him, at 30%, and an unfavorable opinion of him, at 41%. For Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, 25% have a favorable opinion, and 15% an unfavorable opinion. For Angelle, 22% have a favorable opinion, and 13% an unfavorable opinion. For Edwards, 23% have a favorable opinion, and 9% an unfavorable opinion.
“Voters are really just tuning in, so we are only now seeing real movement in their thinking about the candidates. As they give these candidates a first or second look, they are getting a better sense of how much they like them,” says Professor Michael Henderson, research director of the PPRL, in a prepared statement. “Still, it is worth remembering that these are voters’ overall evaluations of the candidates. They give us a sense of how voters see the slate, but they do not tell us which candidate voters will ultimately choose. These opinions may continue to evolve as we reach the primary election, and they certainly will change by the time we reach a runoff.”
The survey results come from telephone interviews with 1,040 adults conducted between Sept. 17 and Oct. 11. The margin of error is 3.3 percentage points.
