Sanchez has put her foot in her mouth throughout the campaign, while the Tran campaign has pieced together a disciplined and spirited effort. National Democrats are so worried about this race (in a district Barack Obama carried in 2008 by 22 points), they sent Bill Clinton to the district on Friday to to help salvage Sanchez's re-election bid. That Sanchez's support has dwindled to 39 percent is a major red flag, especially considering her victory margin just two years ago was 69-25.Van Tran is tied with Loretta Sanchez on the ballot test. Fully 39% of likely voters say they are supporting Van Tran, while 39% are backing Sanchez and 5% siding with Ceci Iglesias (17% undecided). Moreover, Tran’s definite support level is higher than that of Congresswoman Sanchez (30% definitely voting for Tran – 28% definitely voting for Sanchez).
- While there are certainly solid ethnic coalitions in this race – Asian and Vietnamese voters siding with Tran, Latinos favoring Sanchez – Tran enjoys a commanding 34-point lead with White voters in the district (60% Tran – 26% Sanchez).
- Van Tran also polls strongly with Independent voters (42% Tran – 28% Sanchez) and older voters (50% Tran – 30% Sanchez) – two groups that are likely going to determine the victor here.
- Van Tran has a commanding 22-point lead over Sanchez (52% - 30%) among voters who say they are “extremely interested” in the upcoming elections (rate their interest a “10”on a one-to-ten scale). Among a broader high interest segment of the electorate – the “8-10s” – Tran is up eight points (44% - 38%).
Tran's strong lead among the most enthusiastic voters bodes well for his ability to win the turnout battle, which his campaign manager, George Andrews, tells me will be the deciding factor in the race. Sanchez does have a significant cash advantage and will outspend Tran significantly over the next two weeks.
Help even the playing field HERE.