Polls show Blanco, Jindal are in a tight race

[Freddie Stubbs]

Turnout will be key to victory, observers say

That's the message from two independent statewide voter polls released Wednesday on the Nov. 15 gubernatorial runoff between Democrat Kathleen Blanco and Republican Bobby Jindal.

Jindal leads with 44 percent to Blanco's 40 percent among likely voters polled by the Survey Research Center at the University of New Orleans, but those numbers represent a statistical tie considering the possible margin of error in the poll.

Blanco leads with 39 percent to Jindal's 38 percent among registered voters in a poll by Loyola University political scientist Ed Renwick for WWL-TV. That measure includes how voters are "leaning" in the race. In the New Orleans area, Jindal leads with 41 percent to Blanco's 32 percent.

Renwick's poll also showed that Democratic incumbent Robert Wooley leads Republican challenger Dan Kyle 27 percent to 19 percent in the insurance commissioner race, with the majority of voters still undecided.

more: http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1068102518110210.xml

[jiacinto]

1. I think Blanoc ekes out a win

Democrats, as they were in the Landrieu runoff, are angry and won't let this one slip away.

[AP]

4. ugh.

Please! More pessimism. You're going to totally jinx this race.

[CMT]

2. I'm worried about this one

Jidal is a more articulate candidate than Mary L. had in 2002 and also Mary L had a lot of committed women supporting her over Terrel because she was pro-choice. Blanco is not pro-choice and I wonder if this will hurt her?

[PROGRESSIVE1]

3. Jindal is also anti-abortion!

Why is he leading with women???

[ronzo]

5. One word....

Catholics.

Louisiana is chock full o' Catholics. And a great deal of successful Dems in and from Louisiana are playing to (and for) this demographic. You really have to watch your platform on abortion. It's a political paradox.