A new poll of the Arizona governor’s race commissioned by a conservative group called American Encore has found Republican Doug Ducey leading Democrat Fred DuVal in what remains a tight race for the open seat. Forty-six percent of likely voters said they support Ducey, compared to 37 percent for DuVal.
“Ducey’s lead over DuVal is commanding but not complete,” says pollster Kellyanne Conway, a veteran of GOP campaigns, in a statement. “Ducey is a few points shy of 50% (a third party candidate is getting 5%) and 10% of voters remain undecided. What they see, read, and hear over the next month, especially on immigration, education and the economy, will help them to determine their preference – and will decide who the next governor of Arizona is.” Read the full results of the poll here.
Ducey and DuVal are vying to succeed Republican governor Jan Brewer, who is not seeking a third term. According to the Real Clear Politics average of polls, the two major candidates are statistically tied.
Despite Arizona’s Republican turn in recent years, DuVal, a businessman, has made the race competitive with Ducey, the former CEO of Cold Stone Creamery who is Arizona’s current state treasurer. DuVal has portrayed himself as a bipartisan outsider, although his resume appears to be more that of a Democratic consultant. And while DuVal has focused his campaign on ethics and lobbying reform (the state legislature and other elected officials have been embroiled in multiple ethics scandals recently), the Democrat has his own history of lobbying—sometimes under dubious ethical circumstances. Republicans have argued DuVal has not registered as a lobbyist in several states where the law would require him to and that he has not properly disclosed all of his past lobbying activity.
