No Poll Has Been Run By The Stewart Campaign
Posted on July 5, 2008 at 8:49 pmThe saga of the 52nd State House district race between Waller attorney Mike Stewart and underdog Eric Stansell got curiouser and curiouser right before the July 4th holiday. The dustup Wednesday over Eric Stansell’s voting record including a 1992 vote in the Republican primary caused many folks to wonder what caused the campaign of Mike Stewart to disseminate that information.
More than a few folks, including this blogger, speculated that perhaps there was a poll done in this race showing Stansell with quite a bit more strength than expected which caused the Stewart campaign to change its dismissive attitude towards Stansell.
Elizabeth M-K Sullivan, campaign manager for Mike Stewart, when queried this past Thursday as to whether some of their big fundraising haul was used to commission a poll, was emphatic.
“No, absolutely not. There has been no polling done by this campaign.” Sullivan explained, ” This doesn’t mean we don’t reserve the right to poll in the future but, as of now, we have not felt the need.”
So, why go negative? What spurred a heavy favorite with money to burn to dime out the voting record of underfunded opponent to the media? Sullivan asserted that it was not the Stewart campaign that drew first blood.
“We didn’t make this campaign about who was the best Democrat, [Stansell] did,” explained Sullivan. When asked to point to specific instances in the media where Stansell had gone negative Sullivan could only offer up the somewhat anti-Stewart coverage in the Nashville Scene. When asked whether she believe Stansell was behind or instigating that coverage, Sullivan responded in the affirmative.
“At some point, when you are attacked, you have to defend yourself.” Sullivan added.
Contacted by Post Politics late Thursday, candidate Eric Stansell was somewhat taken aback by the suggestion that he was behind the Scene’s coverage.
“While it would certainly be useful as an underdog candidate, I possess no kind of control over the media.” answered Stansell. “People write what they want to write, especially in the Scene.”
In the end, however, Stansell doesn’t consider what the Stewart campaign did “going negative.”
“Publicizing my voting record is not negative. I voted Republican in 1992 when I was 19. That’s not negative, that’s a fact. Just as it is a fact that Mike Stewart was a tax attorney for ExxonMobil and Eastman Chemical. Just as it is a fact, my opponent was a registered lobbyist for the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce. Just as it is a fact that my opponent has Campaign Treasurer who has supported Republican candidates. These are all facts and I encourage the voters to consider them.”
