B E N E N S O N   S T R A T E G Y   G R O U P  

1 0 0 0   P O T O M A C   S T R E E T   N W ,   S U I T E   4 2 0 ,    
W A S H I N G T O N ,   D . C .   2 0 0 0 7  
T   E   L   2   0   2   3   3   9   6   0   6   0    
  w w w . b s g c o . c o m    

 
To:     Joe  Garcia  
Fr:   Pete  Brodnitz,  BSG  
Re:     Recent  JHQHUDOHOHFWLRQSROOLQJLQ)ORULGD¶Vth  Congressional  District    
Date:   August  31,  2010  
 
In  our  recent  poll  of  likely  voters  in  )ORULGD¶Vth  Congressional  District,  Joe  Garcia  leads  both  initially  and  
after  we  give  voters  information  about  both  candidates,  giving  the  Democrats  a  good  opportunity  to  pick  
up  this  Republican  open  seat.      
 
Garcia  Leads  Initially  and  Continues  To  Lead  Throughout  Poll  
Joe  Garcia  has  a  4%  lead  over  David  Rivera,  with  40%  for  Garcia,  36%  for  Rivera,  5%  for  Tea  Party  
candidate  Roly  Arrojo,  1%  for  Whig  Party  candidate  Craig  Porter,  and  18%  undecided.    After  voters  hear  
a  series  of  positive  messages  about  both  candidates,  Garcia  increases  his  lead  to  7%.    Once  voters  hear  
negative  arguments  about  both  candidates,  Garcia  leads  by  13%.        
 
If  the  November  election  for  Congress  were  held  today  and  the  candidates  were  «IRUZKRPZRXOG\RXYRWH"  
Initial   Ballot  After  Hearing  Both   Ballot  After  +HDULQJ%RWK&DQGLGDWHV¶
  Ballot     &DQGLGDWHV¶Positive  Messages     Negative    Arguments    
Difference   +4   +7   +13  
Democrat  Joe  Garcia   40   48   43  
Republican  David  Rivera   36   41   30  
Tea  Party  Roly  Arrojo   5   3   9  
Whig  Party  Craig  Porter   1   1   2  
'RQ¶WNQRZ   18   7   17  
 
 
Majority  of  Voters  Have  a  Favorable  Opinion  of  Barack  Obama  &  Want  to  See  His  Policies  
Enacted  
Nearly  6  in  10  (56%)  voters  have  a  favorable  opinion  of  President  Barack  Obama,  with  33%  saying  they  
have  a  very  favorable  view  of  him.    A  majority  (54%)  of  voters  also  say  they  prefer  a  candidate  who  will  
VXSSRUW3UHVLGHQW2EDPD¶VSROLFLHVRYHUDFDQGLGDWe  who  will  oppose  them.  
 
Which  type  of  candidate  for  Congress  would  you  prefer?  
All  
 
Difference   +16  
One  who  will  support  3UHVLGHQW2EDPD¶VSROLFLHV   54  
One  who  will  oppose  3UHVLGHQW2EDPD¶VSROLFLHV   38  
'RQ¶WNQRZ   8  
 
 
 
 
 
The  Benenson  Strategy  Group  conducted  400  interviews  district-­wide  with  likely  general  election  voters  
August  26-­29,  2010.  The  margin  of  error  for  overall  results  is  ±4.90%.  %6*¶V  clients  include  Governor  
Tim  Kaine  (VA),  Senator  Jim  Webb  (VA),  Senator  Jeff  Merkley  (OR),  Congresswoman  Mary  Jo  Kilroy  (OH-­
15),  and  Congressman  Tom  Perriello  (VA-­5)  .  Peter  Brodnitz,  who  conducted  this  survey,  was  named  
³3ROOVWHURIWKH<HDU´E\WKH$PHULFDQ$VVRFLDWLRQRI3ROLWLFDO&RQVXOWDQWVLQIRUKLVZRUNIRU
Governor  Kaine,  Senator  Webb  and  the  Democratic  Senatorial  Campaign  Committee.  

August  2010  ±  FL  CD-­25  Poll