I wouldn’t put this one in the bag yet, but obviously this is a good sign for a GOP challenger:
A Public Opinion Strategies poll conducted for the NRCC of the NY-23 race found the GOP nominee, Matt Doheny, with a wide lead over Democratic incumbent, Rep. Bill Owens, in a hypothetical head-to-head match-up.
The poll was conducted Sept. 22-23 — long before Doug Hoffman decided to suspend his candidacy on the Conservative line and call on his supporters to support Doheny, who won the Sept. 14 GOP primary.
The poll, which questioned 400 likely voters and has a margin of error of +/- 4.9 percent, did not include Hoffman, even though his name will remain on the Nov. 2 ballot. It found Doheny leading Owens, 51-37, with the Republican candidate picking up some 68 percent of Hoffman’s voters.
Doug Hoffman, responsible grownup.