Poll shows rivals running neck and neck in two races
CARSON CITY — A newly released poll shows the races for U.S. Senate and governor in Nevada are dead heats, while the Energy Choice Initiative has seen a significant dip in support.
The poll, which comes from
Suffolk University and the Reno Gazette-journal newspaper, shows Republican U.S. Sen. Dean Heller narrowly ahead of his Democratic challenger, U.S. Rep. Jacky Rosen, with 41 percent of respondents saying they’d vote for Heller and 40 percent for Rosen. Also, 9 percent said they are undecided.
The poll showed the governor’s race between Republican Adam Laxalt and Democrat Steve Sisolak to be even closer, with 41.6 percent of respondents saying they would vote for Laxalt, 41 percent saying they would vote for Sisolak and 7 percent undecided.
The poll of 500 likely voters was taken July 24-29, with a party makeup that closely mirrors the state’s voter registration. The margin of error is 4.4 percent, meaning both races fall within a statistical tie.
Unsurprisingly, Democrats and Republicans in both races overwhelmingly went with their party’s candidate. Nonpartisan voters, however, differed.
In the Senate race, 34 percent of the independents polled broke toward Rosen and 29 percent for Heller. Laxalt, the state attorney general, was favored by 37 percent of the independents.
Energy choice
The poll also asked respondents about Question 3, the ballot initiative that would break up NV Energy’s monopoly on power generation in Nevada in favor of a competitive market where consumers would choose their electricity provider.
The proposed constitutional amendment, commonly referred to as the Energy Choice Initiative, passed in 2016 with more than 71 percent of the vote. But it must pass twice to become law and is again on the ballot this fall.
According to the Suffolk poll, 31 percent of respondents said they support Question 3, 46 percent are opposed and 22 percent are undecided.
Yes on 3, the campaign pushing for Question 3’s passage, criticized the poll for not asking the question the way it will be phrased on the November ballot.
The poll asked: “This year, you will vote on a constitutional amendment known as Question 3, which would require the state Legislature to quote, “minimize regulations on the energy market and eliminate legal energy monopolies,” end quote. If the vote were held today, would you support or oppose Question 3?”
The wording on the ballot is: “Shall Article 1 of the Nevada Constitution be amended to require the Legislature to provide by law for the establishment of an open, competitive retail electric energy market that prohibits the granting of monopolies and exclusive franchises for the generation of electricity?”
“They asked a false question about minimizing regulations that does not resemble what voters will see in the fall,” Yes on 3 campaign manager Dave Chase said in a statement. “Polling ballot measures can be difficult but the place to start is asking the actual question.”
Contact Capital Bureau reporter Colton Lochhead at clochhead@ reviewjournal.com or 775-461-3820. Follow @Coltonlochhead on Twitter.