There are polls on all sorts of things these days. Now comes an unusual one that amounts to a Baggage Index on Michigan's 2010 gubernatorial contenders.
An eclectic trio of political players with varied pasts last week released results of a survey on how much the contenders could be hurt by "negative characteristics" currently in circulation about them -- regardless of their validly.
Their poll of 950 likely voters by East Lansing-based Denno-Noor Research also underscored Lt. Gov. John Cherry's frontrunner status for the Democrat nomination. He had 20 percent support. In single digits were House Speaker Andy Dillon (a possible but undeclared candidate), Rep. Alma Wheeler Smith, ex-Rep. John Freeman and Michigan State University trustee and former football coach/athletic director George Perles.
Among Republicans, U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, with 21 percent, had single digit leads over Attorney General Mike Cox and Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard. Ann Arbor businessman Rick Snyder and Sen. Tom George had single-digit support.
George, a medical doctor, last week visited hospitals in Cheboygan and Cadillac, and also campaigned in Gaylord and Mancelona.
This polling on intra-party duels was somewhat similar to earlier polls and indicates that more than 60 percent of Democrats, and more than 40 percent of Republicans, have yet to declare favorites in the race to replace term-limited Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
An interesting sidelight about this poll is who partnered to take it: Denno-Noor President Dennis Denno is a longtime spokesman for Democratic leaders; CEO Chuck Perricone of the Perricone Group is a former Republican speaker of the House; CEO Kelly Rossman-McKinney of the Rossman Group served in the office of Democratic Gov. Jim Blanchard and is among sponsors of Tim Skubick's popular (among political junkies) weekly Off the Record show on Michigan Public TV.
The Nov. 12-17 poll seized upon media reports -- many fueled by opponents of the candidates -- to address the question: "Can candidates for Michigan governor shake negative perceptions?"
The trio said of Cox: "The most damaging characteristic surveyed is associated (with Cox), who has been accused of covering up a criminal investigation of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Ninety-percent of those surveyed indicated they would be less likely to vote for a candidate associated with a Kwame Kilpatrick scandal."
Rossman-McKinney said: "The rumor of Mike Cox covering up an investigation into the events at an alleged Manoogian Mansion party held by (Kilpatrick) has been in the news for six years now and doesn't look to be going away anytime soon."
It should. The Detroit Free Press, which had full page spreads on the issue this month, concluded editorially that Cox "has persuasively rebutted" a State Police detective's complaint about his closing the case.
Reached Friday while at a family gathering in Virginia, Stu Sandler of the Cox campaign branded the poll question "nonsense." He said that Cox's office, after "a thorough investigation" involving interviews with 130 persons, found no evidence of crime in the issues he examined.
Sandler said Cox critics, and recent media commentary, have ignored an important point: Kilpatrick ended up spending time in jail as a result of Cox's prosecution of Kilpatrick on an assault case.
After the Cox-Kilpatrick issue, according to the Denno-Noor release, "the next most damaging characteristic goes to Ann Arbor businessman Rick Snyder who has been accused of sending American jobs to China during his tenure as CEO of Gateway. According to the survey, 84 percent of Michigan voters would be less likely to vote for a candidate who has sent jobs overseas."
Long before release of the poll, Snyder spokesman Jake Suski denied Democratic claims that Snyder, a 1991-97 executive with the computer manufacturer, outsourced jobs to China. He said Snyder "is the only candidate with job creating experience-- "creating hundreds of them in Michigan.
The release said "the main negative trait attached to" Cherry is "his association with" Granholm's record. It said 62 percent of respondents indicated "they would be less likely to vote for a candidate with this characteristic."
It said House Speaker Dillon, if he runs, "should be cautious about being tied closely to the state's budget trouble. More than three-fourths (76 percent) of those surveyed said that being a legislative leader responsible for the state's budget mess and government shutdown would make them less likely to vote for that candidate."
It would be a bum rap to heap that much blame on Dillon. Both parties share blame for the budget brinksmanship, including the mere two-hour shutdown.
I don't think voters will be as quick as the poll was to attach "negative characteristics" to the gubernatorial candidates. But it's a fair question to ask whether they can "shake negative perceptions.
George Weeks retired in 2006 after 22 years as political columnist for The Detroit News. His weekly Michigan Politics column is syndicated by Superior Features
