JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Although former Navy SEAL and Republican convert Eric Greitens is not expected to announce his candidacy for governor until tomorrow, a new poll from Public Policy Polling indicates he would beat the presumptive Democratic nominee Attorney General Chris Koster in a head-to-head.
In the poll published Thursday, Greitens would earn 44 percent of the vote to Koster’s 37 percent while about 20 percent remain undecided in a group divided amongst 35 percent Democrat and 32 percent Republican and Independent likely voters. However, 48 percent of respondents said they voted for Mitt Romney in the last election and only 40 percent voted for Barack Obama.
The results are perhaps more noteworthy than usual considering PPP, which is based out of North Carolina, is widely considered to lean more to the left in its results, politically speaking.
Although PPP limited the gubernatorial voting to just two candidates, the poll also hit on the lieutenant governor’s race between a wide array of primary opponents.
Sen. Mike Parson, R-Bolivar, does not lose a single match up to any of the Democratic primary candidates. He tops Brad Bradshaw, a physician, surgeon and lawyer from Springfield, 39 percent to 37 (however, that result is within the +/- 3.6 margin of error); and he beats former U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan 44 percent to 39. There was no head-to-head match up conducted between Parson and Tommie Pierson.
Conservative activist Bev Randles did not fare as well. Carnahan comes out on top over Randles 39 percent to 38 (again within the margin of error), but Bradshaw beats her 39 percent to 29 percent.
Though Bradshaw performs better head-to-head against the Republican candidates, Carnahan is favored by Democrats to be their nominee. Though 18 percent said they would not vote in the Democratic primary and 17 percent were not sure who they would vote for, Carnahan earned 33 percent of the respondents while Bradshaw only had 22 percent. Pierson collected just 10 percent.
