Branstad tops Culver 52-36 percent

Former Republican Gov. Terry Branstad continues to hold a double-digit lead over first-term Democratic Gov. Chet Culver in Iowa's gubernatorial race, according to Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of Likely Voters released today (Aug. 9).

Rasmussen shows Branstad picking up 52 percent support, while Culver gets 36 percent of the vote. Eight percent prefer another candidate, and 4 percent are undecided.

Other than a post-primary bounce after defeating two GOP rivals for the nomination, Branstad has earned 52 percent to 53 percent of the votes in surveys since February, Rasmussen said. Immediately after the June 8 primary, Branstad, who served four terms as governor from 1983 to 1999, jumped out to a 57 percent to 31 percent lead.

Culver, who was elected governor in 2006 with 54 percent of the vote, has earned 36 percent to 38 percent support in surveys since February.

According to the poll, which has a margin of error of +/- 4.5 percentage points, 72 percent of Iowa voters view Branstad as politically conservative, while Culver is seen as politically liberal by 57 percent. Twenty-six percent 26 percent rate the governor as a moderate.

The fact that 47 percent of those surveyed think Culver's political views are extreme compared to 39 percent who put them in the mainstream, could signal trouble for the incumbent. Branstad's views are regarded as mainstream by 57 percent and extreme by just 31 percent, Rasmussen found.

Another possible sign of trouble is that while nearly nine in 10 Republicans support Branstad, less than 80 percent of Democrats back Culver, Rasmussen said. Although Democrats enjoy a sizable voter registration advantage over Republicans, Branstad leads by more than two-to-one among voters not affiliated with either major political party.

He is viewed Very Favorably by 28 percent of voters and Very Unfavorably by 20 percent.

Thirteen percent have a Very Favorable opinion of Culver, while 40 percent view him Very Unfavorably, up nine points from June.

Although both candidates are well-known, at this point in a campaign, Rasmussen Reports considers the number of people with a strong opinion more significant than the total favorable/unfavorable numbers.