Trash tactics: A push poll for this Sacramento mayoral candidate is full of foul play | Opinion
As the disastrous presidential debate raged on my television screen, the smallest of screens in my household — my phone, that is — managed to bring my attention back to local politics with a jolt.
A text from a Los Angeles-area number invited me to participate in a “study of the city of Sacramento residents to get their opinions about issues facing our nation, state and local communities.” Since I love sharing my opinions — especially about the City of Sacramento — I decided to take a break from watching the downfall of American democracy to participate.
Opinion
But the questions on this particular survey were so obviously written in favor of Sacramento mayoral candidate Kevin McCarty, that it’s hard to believe this was anything other than a poor attempt at a push poll (a tactic meant to sway voters using loaded and manipulative questions, widely denounced by organizations like the American Association for Public Opinion Research, the American Association of Political Consultants, the Council for Marketing and Opinion Research and the National Council on Public Polls).
Sacramento targeted by pollsters
The poll asked respondents to rate several public figures and organizations in Sacramento from “Very Positive” to “Very Negative.” Names included Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, District Attorney Thien Ho, Congresswoman Doris Matsui and Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen. The public officials, however, appeared without their titles, (i.e. “Darrell Steinberg”) so the average Joe would have to guess who they were.
Respondents were also asked to rate The Sacramento Bee, which is interesting because our editorial board endorsed McCarty’s opponent, Flo Cofer, in the primaries.
Other questions asked respondents to rate whether McCarty or Cofer has more experience in legislative governance; which one is more “forward-looking ... (with) bold plans for Sacramento’s future;” who is more honest; and who believes “more is possible.”
The poll implied that top-of-mind issues for Sacramento voters are police funding, the city’s involvement in “foreign affairs like Israel” and allowing the city’s homeless population to find shelter in city parks. (By comparison, a recent poll of more than a thousand Sacramento County residents said their top priorities were homelessness and the high cost of housing.)
The poll was a giant red flag full of deceptive and manipulative descriptions.
It framed McCarty as a “consensus builder” with “proven practical solutions” who “believes there is no one-size-fits-all solution to the housing affordability crisis,” Cofer was described briefly as an epidemiologist and “an advocate for change” who supported the legalization of marijuana.
“We know that Sacramento’s political insiders are afraid of change,” Cofer’s campaign manager, Jeff Rousset said in a prepared statement. “They’re spending lots of money to deceive the public about Dr. Flo. But she won 57% of the primary precincts because people want change. We need to spend our time and money on real solutions to homelessness instead of push polls and smear campaigns.”
McCarty says it wasn’t him
McCarty declined to speak with me about it for more than a moment. He said neither he nor his campaign were responsible for the poll. He did not denounce it. A representative from the American Directions Research Group — who ran the survey — said in an email that they would not disclose who hired them. They confirmed that the questions they asked were provided by their clients.
If we take McCarty at his word then I think it’s a safe bet that the push poll was at least commissioned by someone who supports his candidacy, and has the money to put it out in the field. In this city, the number of people who can do this is limited, so take your best guess. I’ve certainly got mine.
It’s an interesting tactic so early in the race. (Read “interesting” as “dumb.”) A similar poll was run in the primary by former Senator Richard Pan. That poll showed Pan leading by 6%, with 24% of the four-way vote in the March primary. It also showed McCarty in second and Cofer in dead last, with just 8% of the vote. Of course, the primary election resulted in Cofer as the clear winner, with 28% of the vote. McCarty was second with 22%.
Isn’t there already enough turmoil and mudslinging in the national election? It’s too soon to go this mean in Sacramento.
Frankly, this tactic could backfire and make voters more sympathetic to Cofer, and McCarty’s candidacy ought to be able to stand on his own without it. I hope Sacramentans are wise enough to recognize this poll as an ill-mannered play by McCarty supporters who want to start the general election season with insults. The candidate with the best vision for the future of Sacramento should be our next mayor. That vision simply cannot be found in a push poll.
