Dems: Patty Murray Leads! (But Don't Ask About Our Poll's Margin of Error)

Guy Benson | September 07, 2010 4:04 PM

Democrats are circulating an internal poll out of Washington State showing incumbent Sen. Patty Murray leading Republican challenger Dino Rossi by five points:

A new internal poll conducted for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee found Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), who faces her stiffest challenge yet in a difficult election cycle, ahead of Republican Dino Rossi 50 percent to 45 percent.
The poll of 968 likely voters was conducted by the Democratic firm Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz and Associates. It was taken of from Aug. 25-31.

Pop the champagne! You'd think the DSCC would be pretty stoked by these results, yet they're curiously "unable" to share the poll's margin of error--a crucial element of any survey:

The DSCC was not able to provide the survey's margin of error.

Other recent polls show the race nip and tuck. The Rossi campaign ought not concern itself with this survey too much, absent adequate details on sample size and methodology.

Meanwhile Survey USA has released several polls out of Murray's home state. One finds a supposedly vulnerable Republican Congressman (Dave Reichert, WA-08) leading by double digits, 54-41. The other spells trouble for incumbent Democratic Congressman Rick Larsen (WA-02), who's trailing Republican John Koster by four points.

Unlike the magical Patty Murray internal poll, Survey USA posts helpful sample information: 612 likely voters with a 4-point margin of error.