New Hampshire Row over Push Polls

'Push Polls', which often masquerade as impartial research but are in fact geared to influencing voters close to election time, are again in the spotlight in the US, after accusations by the New Hampshire Republican Party.

As reported on www.unionleader.com , Republican State Committee spokesman Ryan Williams is asking Attorney General Michael Delaney to investigate alleged push polling telephone calls by agents of Democrat Paul Hodes. Republican Senatorial candidate Kelly Ayotte is said to be the target of calls by Mountain West Research, which is calling New Hampshire voters on behalf of another research firm, Anzalone Liszt - the latter is a Democratic polling firm whose clients include Hodes.

Matt House, a spokesman for Hodes, says all the polls being conducted for the campaign are lawful and conducted for statistical purposes only, and called the complaint 'just another partisan stunt' by the Republicans.

Williams says he has received calls from people contacted by the 'research', saying the calls were designed to smear former attorney general Ayotte and asked about her supposed inaction over the recent Financial Resources Mortgage scandal.

In New Hampshire law push polls, which involve questions related to opposing candidates 'which state, imply, or convey information about opposing candidates' character, status, or political stance or record', must be clearly flagged to respondents up front with the caller identifying who they are working for and providing a contact number.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.