Self-commissioned poll shows Love leads Smith 2-to-1; Smith campaign disputes results

The first post-election poll commissioned by State Rep. Jay Love shows Love leading runoff challenger Sen. Harri Anne Smith for the Republican nomination for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District seat by a margin of almost 2-to-1.

But Smith’s campaign accused Love of commissioning a “push poll” and said the numbers are simply the campaign’s attempt at “spin.”

According to the poll of 300 likely voters in the June 15 runoff election, 60 percent said they would either vote for Love, R-Montgomery, or are leaning to Love, compared to 32 percent who said they planned to vote for Smith, R-Slocomb, or were leaning toward Smith. Eight percent were undecided.

The poll was conducted June 5, two days after the Tuesday primary election in which Love received 35 percent of the vote. Smith placed second and qualified for the June 15 runoff by receiving 22 percent of the vote, edging Dothan oral surgeon Craig Schmidtke (20 percent) and Montgomery businessman David Woods (18 percent).

Love’s campaign manager, Michael Lowry, said the poll numbers show Love has secured his base of voters heading into the runoff election against Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright, who won the Democratic nomination Tuesday.

“We believe it shows this will carry into November with that base in tact and give us a strong position to begin the campaign against Bobby Bright,” Lowry said.

The poll was paid for by Jay Love for Congress Committee and was conducted by McLaughlin and Associates. Respondents were asked “If the Republican primary election for US Congress were held today, for whom would you vote, Jay Love or Harri Anne Smith?  If you had to choose today, which candidate are you leaning towards?”

Jack Campbell, campaign spokesman for Smith, said the poll was conducted with a desired outcome in mind.

“Many of our supporters have received calls from Jay Love’s polling firm where they are asked to answer questions after misleading and negative information is given to them. These push polls are not indicative of real strength and should not be viewed as accurate,” Campbell said. “The fact is that Jay Love started this race early, spent hundreds of thousands of his own personal dollars only to find out that two out of three voters preferred someone else over him. This race is wide open.”

Lowry disputed Campbell’s claim. He did say the poll included “message testing” but said that did not shade results.

“The fact is Jay Love demonstrated strength across the district and continues to focus on the conservative values that the voters in the district are looking for in a candidate,” Lowry said.

Pollster Jim McLaughlin said he stands by the poll’s results. According to McLaughlin’s Web site, he has polled for Alabama Sens. Jeff Sessions and Richard Shelby.

“At the end of the day I have to be right,” he said.