Rasmussen Poll: Branstad 52, Culver 36

The latest Rasmussen Poll on the Iowa governor’s race is out.  It shows the race hasn’t changed that much, with Republican nominee Terry Branstad sitting at 52 percent and Democratic Governor Chet Culver at 36 percent.  That would be a double-digit lead.  Dig down into the numbers and you’ll see Branstad had the support of 87 percent of  Republican respondents, while Culver had the support of 78 percent of Democrats.

Here’s another interesting tidbit:

Just over half of Iowa voters (51%) give their personal finances good or excellent marks, which is higher than results found nationally. Only 11% rate their finances as poor. But just 27% in Iowa say their finances are getting better these days, compared to 40% who say their finances are getting worse.

Tim Albrecht, Branstad’s communications director, released this statement:

Iowans want a proven, effective manager like Terry Branstad in the governor’s office. Iowans all across the state continue to respond positively to Gov. Branstad’s optimistic message of job creation and fixing the state’s finances. However, this campaign will not rest until after November 2, and will continue working hard for every vote. The only poll that counts is the one taken on election day.

The Culver campaign released a statement:

STATEMENT FROM CULVER/JUDGE CAMPAIGN MANAGER ON LATEST POLL

Des Moines – Culver/Judge Campaign Manager Donn Stanley released the following statement in regards to the latest Rasmussen poll of the Iowa governor’s race.

“The Rasmussen poll released today demonstrates a basic point that Terry Branstad’s bounce is gone.  This election is about two things: who shows up to vote on Election Day and the choice between the two candidates.

“Rasmussen favors Republican candidates and that can be seen in the demographic breakdown in their polls. That demographic does not represent who will show up on Election Day.

“Further, the choice between Governor Culver and Terry Branstad is clear. Culver is for the statewide voluntary preschool program; Branstad wants to repeal it. Governor Culver has invested in our infrastructure to create the conditions for long-term job growth; Terry Branstad wants to do away with it. Under Governor Culver, Iowa has a balanced budget and has a triple-A bond rating; Terry Branstad kept two sets of books and hid budget deficits for years.

“As voters begin to make that choice, we are confident that they will elect Chet Culver and Patty Judge to another term and continue to move Iowa forward.”