Doug Ducey records 8-point lead in new Arizona governor’s race poll
Aug 17, 2014, 5:00 PM | Updated: Aug 18, 2014, 8:31 am
PHOENIX — State Treasurer Doug Ducey appears to be the front-runner in the Republican primary for Arizona’s next governor, at least according to one poll.
The Phoenix Business Journals reports Ducey scored 31 percent of likely primary voters in a poll recently conducted for the Arizona Automobile Dealers Association.
The poll consisted of 1,300 respondents who are registered Republicans or independents and who plan to vote in the Aug. 26 GOP primary.
Former Mesa Mayor Scott Smith was second in the poll at 23 percent. After that, former GoDaddy executive Christine Jones came up with 16 percent of votes in the poll while Secretary of State Ken Bennett garnered 10 percent.
Jones was previously second in most polls behind Ducey but has been surpassed by Smith, according to a series of AADA polls.
The most recent survey was conducted after Gov. Jan Brewer’s endorsement of Smith. It shows Ducey — who has the backing of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin — expanding his lead.
The Business Journal added that Smith does well among independents, leading Ducey by a 36 percent to 19 percent margin in the latest poll. The respondent base was 14 percent independent.
Other GOP contenders such as Andrew Thomas and Frank Riggs earned just 7 percent and 3 percent, respectively, in the AADA poll.
