With just under a year to go until America elects its next commander in chief, an aggressively unscientific presidential poll of avid area coffee-drinkers confirms two things.
First, Sen. Hillary Clinton, as she is nationally portrayed, is indeed a polarizing figure. Second, a large number of voters have no earthly idea whom they would vote for if the election were held today.
In a poll of 40 local respondents, most of whom are members of regular coffee gatherings in Emporia, Americus and Olpe, Clinton was the winner, earning five votes to edge former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney by one vote. And the vote that ultimately swung the poll in the senator’s favor came when one person decided to change his vote to spite a friend.
The real winner, though, was the maverick candidate Undecided. More than half of respondents — 24, taking up 60 percent — said they weren’t sure whom they would vote for if they had to go to the polls today. Several said they weren’t impressed with any of the choices offered by either party.
Clinton’s victory, such as it was, also came with a reflection of how voters either love the Democratic frontrunner or hate her. Though her five votes carried the poll, about twice that many respondents said they knew they would not vote for Clinton.
One respondent who didn’t want to give his name said he would vote for the former First Lady because “she’s a woman. Lot smarter than the guy we got” in the White House now.
At Coburn’s Family Restaurant, Jack Mitchell said he knew he wasn’t voting for Clinton.
“And it’s not because she’s a woman,” Mitchell said. “It’s because of Bill, I guess.”
At the Breckinridge County Cafe in Americus, Dale Grimsley initially said he was undecided but leaning toward Clinton. But when his friend Norm Stevens joined the group that said they knew they weren’t voting for Clinton, Grimsley decided to instead cast his vote for the senator.
Romney’s values were cited as strong points by those who cast their votes for him, as well as by some who didn’t.
“He’s a good man,” said Bill Schulte during a gathering at the Regency Gardens restaurant. “Honest. You know what you’re getting.”
Rudy Giuliani, the Republican frontrunner, registered just two votes in the poll, which tied him with Sen. John McCain. Sen. Barack Obama and former Sen. John Edwards each received one vote.
Mitchell said he was impressed with Obama but echoed others polled when he said the Illinois senator needed more experience.
A large number of respondents considered themselves Republicans. But former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, the GOP candidate rising the most in recent national polls, didn’t tally a single vote. Several respondents indicated they wanted to know more about Huckabee.
Tom VanSickle, a member of the Regency Gardens gathering, said none of the candidates had impressed him during their appearances in the televised debates.
“There’s too much bickering between themselves over the issues,” he said. “They’re just trying to outdo each other.”
Respondents cited a number of different issues as being important to them; most commonly mentioned first was the war in Iraq. Those who offered an opinion on the war tended to want the new president to figure out an exit plan. Other issues important to voters included immigration, health care, and fiscal responsibility.
Joe Pedrojat, who cast his vote for Edwards at the Chicken House in Olpe, said the national debt needed to be addressed.
“That’s gotta come to a halt,” he said. “It’s in the stratospheric stratosphere. It cannot go on.”
The latest USA Today/Gallup poll shows Clinton in the lead for the Democratic nomination with 39 percent of the vote, 15 percentage points ahead of Obama.
The latest Associated Press/Ipsos survey places Giuliani at the top of the GOP field with 26 percent of the vote, with Huckabee in second at 18 percent.
In recent head-to-head polls, Clinton and Giuliani have been in a dead heat, with Clinton holding a slight lead.