Undecideds make up largest chunk of voters in Arizona CD1 poll

PHOENIX — With only a few weeks to go before the Republican primary election in Arizona, nearly half of likely voters in rural Congressional District 1 were still undecided, poll results showed.

Phoenix-based research company Data Orbital asked 450 registered voters for their choice in the federal race between Wendy Rogers, Tiffany Shedd and Steve Smith.

The winner will face incumbent Tom O’Halleran, who is unopposed in the Democratic primary, in November’s general election.

Rogers topped the poll with 21.9 percent, but the biggest number belonged to undecided at 49.7 percent.

The retired Air Force pilot has run for Congress in each of the past three elections, losing in the primary in all of them.

Shedd was second in the poll with 15 percent and Smith was last with 10.1 percent.

“With Arizona’s semi-closed primaries it will be key to look at the role that the district’s independents, who are 31.7 percent of registered voters,” George Khalaf, company president, said in a statement.

Breaking down the participants by age, Rogers scored best with 45-to-54-year-olds at 23.8 percent.

The youngest age group, 18-34, favored Eloy farmer Shedd at 20.2 percent.

State Sen. Steve Smith of Maricopa had his highest numbers among 35-to-44-year-olds at 16.3 percent.

The 1st District runs from Flagstaff east to the New Mexico line, south to the Tucson suburbs, and the Navajo Nation.

The primary will be held Aug. 28.

“Looking at this survey and our district profile … we see that this seat is going to be highly watched as the general election approaches,” Khalaf said.

Defending Rural Arizona political action committee sponsored the mostly landline poll, which was conducted June 28-30.

The survey had a margin of error of plus-minus 4.59 percent.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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