Despite being indicted on misuse of campaign funds last Tuesday, Rep. Duncan Hunter’s constituents seem to be sticking with him. A majority of Republicans said they both believe the charges are politically motivated and say he should stay in the race.
A new Survey USA poll, taken between Wednesday (the day after his indictment) and Monday, showed a plurality of voters from the district still plan to vote for him.
In the survey, Hunter outpolled Democratic opponent Ammar Campa-Najjar 47 percent to 39 percent. The poll had a “credibility interval” of 5.1 percent.
In the June primary, Hunter won by double digits, 49 percent to Campa-Najjar’s 16 percent. There were several other Republicans and Democrats in the race at the time. Since then Campa-Najjar seems to have coalesced Democratic support while Hunter’s has stayed in the high 40s.
Nearly half of those polled (42 percent) and 64 percent of Republicans said they believe the charges are politically motivated, as Hunter’s campaign has alleged.
A similar percentage of respondents (41 percent overall and 64 percent of Republicans) said they think Hunter should stay in the race.
“In this particular district, the Hunter name is gold,” San Diego political consultant John Dadian told NBC 7 last week.
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However, 33 percent of those polled said they thought Hunter should resign his seat, and even though 64 percent of Republicans want him to stay in the race, a resounding 84 percent said they would rather vote for a different Republican, if possible.
Under California Election Law it's too late for Hunter to take his name off the ballot and another candidate cannot be added. A court order would be the only way to remove his name.
If another Republican were to replace Hunter, Republicans’ lead in the district would net seven points: from 47-39 to 51-36.
Unsurprisingly, only 11 percent of voters said the charges made them more likely to vote for him and a concerning 42 percent said the indictment made them less likely to vote for him.
A majority of those surveyed were polled over a home phone while a minority (less than 39 percent) were shown a questionnaire on their smartphone.
