By Rob Moritz
Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK — Incumbent Democrat Mike Beebe has lengthened his lead over Republican challenger Jim Keet to 26 points in the home stretch of the governor’s race, results of the latest Arkansas News Bureau/Stephens Media poll show.
Beebe received 59 percent support compared to 33 percent for Keet in poll results released today. Green Party candidate Jim Lendall had 1 percent and 7 percent were undecided.
Beebe held a 21-point lead in an Arkansas News Bureau/Stephens Media poll in September.
In the latest poll, Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. of Washington D.C., surveyed 625 likely Arkansas voters by telephone Oct. 15 through Tuesday. The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Mason-Dixon managing partner J. Brad Coker said Beebe has managed to stay popular among Arkansas voters amid a national political climate in which Republicans are surging and Democrats reeling.
“I think Beebe has done a good job of distancing himself from the national party,” Coker said. “He’s really focused his attention on state issues, tended to the home fires and pretty much has done what the voters wanted him to.
“I don’t see any sign of weakness. The less association with the national party and with Washington in general, the easier it is to win as a Democrat.”
Coker noted poll results showed Beebe with a 56 percent favorable rating and 14 percent unfavorable, compared to 27 percent favorable and 13 percent unfavorable for Keet, a businessman and former state legislator.
Also, just 2 percent of respondents did not recognize Beebe’s name, compared to 25 percent who said they did not recognize Keet’s name.
Beebe campaign spokeswoman Anne Hughes welcomed the poll results but said the governor’s camp would remain vigilant.
“While it is certainly gratifying to see polls that show we are ahead, there are still two weeks left until election day and we remain focused on Nov. 2,” Hughes said.
Keet said internal polling by his campaign and other recent polls by independent organizations show the race closer.
“Our most recent numbers have the governor under 50 percent,” Keet said. “Considering how much money he has spent of late and the fact that he is an incumbent continues to show that he is vulnerable.”
