May 24, 2016
TO:

Interested Parties

FROM:

Erik Iverson, Principal, Moore Information, Inc.

RE:

Washington Voters & the Governor’s Race

Inslee is Vulnerable
Results of our recent statewide poll reveal Governor Jay Inslee is vulnerable to defeat. The
race for Governor is up for grabs with Inslee leading Bill Bryant by a narrow 43-36% margin
today, another 3% saying they won’t vote for either candidate and 18% are undecided.



Bryant leads among Republicans (80-8%) and Inslee leads by a similar margin
among Democrats (80-4%). Independents are divided; 36% Bryant and 37% Inslee.
Bryant trails Inslee in Western Washington (32-47%), but Bryant leads East of the
Cascades (49-31%).

Inslee’s narrow lead on the ballot is likely due to his significant name ID advantage over Bill
Bryant. Today, 35% are aware of Bryant and his image is 10% favorable/5% unfavorable.
Inslee enjoys 89% awareness and his image is 41% favorable/29% unfavorable.
Washington Voters Lean Democrat but Indicate Openness to GOP Governor
 Voters are just as likely to be pessimistic as optimistic about the direction Washington is
headed, with 45% saying things in the state are going in the right direction and another
45% saying things have gotten off on the wrong track. The remaining 10% have no
opinion.



On the generic ballot for Governor, 34% say they would prefer a Republican Governor,
while 41% prefer a Democrat. Another 5% say neither/other and 20% have no opinion.
In May 2015, 30% preferred a Republican candidate, 34% a Democrat, 16%
neither/other and 20% no opinion.



At the same time, a majority (58%) of voters agree that “After 32 years of one party
controlling the Governor’s office, a change in leadership and electing a new governor
from another political party would be healthy for Washington state.” Another 34%
disagree and 9% have no opinion.

o

Republicans agree by a wide margin (88-8%) and Independents also agree
(63-28%), but Democrats disagree (26-62%). Voters currently undecided on
the gubernatorial ballot agree by a two-to-one margin that electing a new
governor from another political party would be healthy for state (53-26%).

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 Inslee Philosophy Out of Step; Reelect Score Suffers
Inslee’s reelect remains dismal; 38% of voters say Inslee deserves reelection, including
20% who would vote for him regardless of his opponent, while 47% prefer a new person as
Governor and 15% have no opinion. In May 2015 his reelect was 38%, while 44% wanted a
new person and 18% had no opinion.
When voters are asked how they would describe Inslee’s political philosophy, Inslee is
described as Liberal by 40% of voters, while 30% describe him as Moderate and 6% as
Conservative. The remaining 25% have no opinion.
The following table clearly shows Inslee is out of step with Washington voters in terms of
political philosophy. When looking at how voters’ perceptions of Inslee’s political philosophy
compare to their own – voters view Inslee as being more Liberal, less Moderate and less
Conservative than they view themselves.
Inslee
philosophy

Voters’
self-description

Liberal

40%

25%

Moderate
Conservative

30%
6%

35%
31%

Don’t know

25%

9%

Political Philosophy

Methodology
The survey of Washington voters was conducted May 16-18, 2016 by live interviewers using
both cellular and landline telephones among a representative sample of 500 registered
voters, statewide. The potential sampling is plus or minus 4% at the 95% confidence level.
Moore Information has more than 30 years of experience conducting research in
Washington State. For the 2016 cycle, we are polling for Congresswomen Cathy McMorris
Rodgers and Jaime Herrera Beutler, Congressman Dan Newhouse, the Washington Senate
and House Republicans, as well as the candidates for Governor, Senate and Secretary of
State. Moore Information's clients span the country. We are working on several key
targeted Congressional races in Nevada, California, Ohio and Florida. We also served as part
of the polling team for Jeb Bush’s 2016 Presidential campaign.
Moore Information is a full-service public opinion research company headquartered in
Portland, Oregon with offices in the Washington, D.C. area and Missoula, MT. Moore
Information specializes in opinion research and strategic advice for political campaigns,
ballot measures, corporations, non-profits and government agencies nationwide. We offer a
wide range of qualitative and quantitative research solutions, employing the latest research
methodologies and techniques.
See more at www.moore-info.com

Washington Voters Survey
May 2016

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