Tammy Duckworth Up Ten Points On Tea Party Congressman Joe Walsh
Joe Walsh, the freshman Republican Congressman from Illinois who has been a lightning rod for controversy since taking office, is in serious trouble:
Democratic congressional candidate Tammy Duckworth has opened a double-digit lead over freshman Republican Rep. Joe Walsh, an edge fueled by a huge advantage among female voters as women’s issues have taken center stage, a new Tribune/WGN-TV poll shows.
With less than two weeks until the election, Duckworth had the backing of 50 percent to 40 percent for Walsh, the controversial tea party-backed incumbent. An additional 9 percent were undecided, which is significant this close to the Nov. 6 balloting, particularly for a highly visible contest that has been combative for months.
The poll results, however, indicate difficulties for Walsh in trying to rally and earn a second term in Washington. Walsh is not viewed favorably. The 8th Congressional District takes a dim view of Republicans in Congress. And independent voters are breaking for Duckworth.
Independents are a key swing bloc of voters who often decide elections, and the poll found they make up more than a third of people casting ballots in the new district, which takes in northwest suburban Cook and eastern DuPage counties. Duckworth, a disabled Iraq War veteran making her second try for Congress, holds a 48 percent to 37 percent advantage over Walsh among independent voters.
Then there’s that gender gap. Among women, Duckworth scored 54 percent support to Walsh’s 34 percent. At the same time, the bravado Walsh often displays in decrying political correctness hasn’t earned him any advantage among men. While the Republican has a 46 percent to 45 percent advantage over Duckworth among male voters, it is statistically insignificant.
This isn’t entirely a surprise. When the Illinois Legislature redrew the Congressional District lines after the 2010 Census, Walsh’s Chicago-area district suddenly far more heavily Democratic than it had been when he ran in the 2010 Midterm Elections. The Cook Report already lists Walsh’s district as “Likely Democratic,” and I’ve seen no sign that the National Republican Congressional Committee is investing any significant money in his race.
I can’t say that I’d shed a tear if Walsh lost. He’s been a bombastic ass from his first day in office. Now, if we could somehow find a way for him, Allen West, and Michele Bachmann to all lose on November 6th, I’d be a happy man.
You know, I wonder if a John Huntsman type would beat Duckworth? Make no mistake, Huntsman is a normal conservative, who does not get lost in social issues. A guy like that could beat Duckworth, right?
Huh. The Deadbeat Dad has trouble with women voters. How odd.
God forbid you judge a politician by the policies they support. It’s just crazy to expect that on a conservative political blog, apparently.
Wasn’t he the “You Lie!” dude at the SOTU a couple of years ago?
@Tillman:
That was Joe Wilson, the rep for SC-2.
@Stormy Dragon: Ah, got my “Joe W.” congressmen mixed up.
@Tillman: Ah, got my
“Joe W.”“bombastic ass” congressmen mixed up.FTFY.
“Joe Walsh, the freshman Republican Congressman from Illinois is in serious trouble:”
Good news for the American people…
Only 10 points? Dead beat dad + stupid abortion comments + multiple counts of general idiocy
It’s hard to imagine how he isn’t down 40 points.
In several other local congressional races, the democrats are also running against Joe Walsh, trying to tie republican incumbents to him. He’s an embarrassment to our state.