Political polls…..they give us something to talk about and it doesn’t take a whole lot of work to report them. Sadly, it doesn’t take a whole lot of work to create some of them. And that’s the rub.
As the Democrat challenger of incumbent Senator Ted Cruz, calls off a proposed debate in Dallas this week….a new poll is released by Emerson College of Boston….showing the Democrat Beto O’Rourke is a single percentage point behind in that Senate race. That’s what the media…especially those on the east and west coasts are breathlessly reporting.
A closer look from here in Texas raises some points however. The poll was an online poll, with 550 respondents, and it was registered voters, not likely voters. Surprised that young people who responded online prefer ORourke, while 55+ age group prefers Cruz? Who’s more likely to respond to an e-poll, who’s more likely to actually vote? The August poll of Emerson College.