Update July 30 8:18 am
: Allen Quist stil leads the poll, followed by Neither, with Mike Parry holding steady in third:
Which candidate do you favor to face Tim Walz for Minnesota's 1st District Congressional seat?
It's hard to get any sense of who is ahead in the brutal Republican primary in Minnesota's First Congressional District, where newspaper editors have taken to scolding Mike Parry and Allen Quist for the "mudfest" (Mankato Free Press) and admonishing them to "heed the 11th commandment" popularized on Mount Horeb by Ronald Reagan (Owatonna People's Press).
Former state representative Quist tested the professional calm of New Ulm Journal bulldog Josh Moniz by pointing out that he has a lot more Facebook likes than Mike Parry for Congress. Moniz reported in Parry, Quist race intensifies:
Quist also attempted to show what he called "objective information" to show he was leading over Parry. He cited that his Facebook page had 730 likes to Parry's 234 likes. He also claimed that he had double Parry's turnout at the parades they marched in. Neither items is typically used by analysts to compare one campaign to another campaign.
Quist has more cash on hand, but is largely self funded; Parry advisor pointed out to the Mankato Free Press and anyone else who would listen that the state senator from Waseca is gaining steam. The Free Press and the New Ulm Journal both had the good news judgment to compare both men's fundraising to that of Walz challengers in 2008 and 2010.
The primary is two weeks from Tuesday. Quist is advertsing on television and cable, while visiting fairs, walking parades and earning media; Parry has no money to be on the air, and so is earning media via strategic attacks in the media, as well as the parades and fair visibility. They both have yard signs up, but yard signs don't vote.
Now there's yest another unscientific measure in the mix: an online poll at the Mankato Free Press's front page that's been up since Friday, according to the paper's Facebook page.
As Bluestem writers this just after 12:45 p.m. on a Sunday, Quist leads with 83 votes, "Neither" is second with 42 votes, and Mike Parry is third with 37 votes. So far, it doesn't look as if either campaign is "astroturfing" the poll, although one Quist follower posted notice to his Facebook poll.
Update 3:15: Quist now has 92 votes, "Neither" 45, while Parry has picked up one vote and remains in third place with 38 votes. "Other" now has 2 votes end update.
Which candidate do you favor to face Tim Walz for Minnesota's 1st District Congressional seat?
Total Votes: 201
All Bluestem can do is hope that no one draws the attention of P. Z. Myers' readers to another online poll. It might get pharyngulated, and we'll all have to wait until Tuesday, August 14, or the release of more scientific polling by whomever might think it worth investing in that sort of thing.
The two online comments favor Quist:
Jake: Allen Quist the only candidate that has a plan for the financial disaster our country is headed towards.
Chad: My wife and I are excited to cast our votes for Allen Quist in the primary!
Screenshots: The Mankato Free Press poll and results at Sunday, 12:45 p.m.
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