Voters claim push polls used against Barrett
Several South Carolina voters believe that infamous push polls are being used in the current gubernatorial Republican primary race, specifically attacking Rep. Gresham Barrett.
Voters from three counties have reported being the subject of similar political surveys they feel were biased. The surveys reportedly came from Conquest Communication, a company used by Attorney General Henry McMaster as part of his campaign for governor.
Trey Walker, campaign manager for McMaster, said Friday that his campaign does use Conquest and regularly conducts polls to gather data on campaign trends. He vigorously denied that the McMaster campaign uses push polls or any such tactics.
"The premise that we are push polling is bogus. I quite frankly think some of the campaigns may have put these people up to calling you," Walker said.
Push polling is a technique used to attempt to alter the opinion of the respondents by posing loaded questions under the guise of conducting a survey.
"We conducted no such poll that was done in such a way," he continued. "Everyone receives the same question."
Starting around May 10, calls were received by registered Republicans asking their views on GOP candidates running in the June 8 primary. Several candidates and races were the subject of questions with no follow-up inquiries, they reported.
When the gubernatorial candidates were discussed, those who selected Barrett were asked a secondary question. The questioner reportedly framed Barrett as supporting the Obama administration's "bailout."
The exact question the McMaster campaign poses, Walker said, is "Were you aware that Gresham Barrett voted in Congress for the Wall Street bailout?" He said that this question was posed fairly and not as a reaction to a candidate selection, adding that the question about voting for "the bailout" was a matter of fact and not an attack.
"Have we asked them if they were aware Congressman Barrett flip-flopped and voted for the bailout?" Walker said. "It's a legitimate issue; it is an issue that is deeply rooted in this campaign. It's not personal."
"I got a push poll the other night," said Chad Connelly of Prosperity. "He (Barrett) was the only one who referenced negatively."
This type of negative campaigning has a sordid history in South Carolina. In the race for the 2000 presidential nomination, then-Florida Gov. George W. Bush was alleged to have used the technique to attack opponent Sen. John McCain, insinuating his daughter was illegitimate.
"Why would you have a survey that ended that way if it was a real call?" asked Linda Tyner of Abbeville of her call Tuesday. "I felt it was a farce; it was a purely political move by someone seeing that Gresham Barrett doesn't get elected. They tell outright lies."
Tyner said she is a Barrett supporter. When she asked the party questioning her the response would have been if she had selected another candidate, she was informed there was no follow-up for any candidate other than Barrett.
When asked by two individuals whom the pollsters were representing, they replied "Conquest." Conquest Communications Group is a Virginia-based firm that specializes in direct contact programs for campaigns.
On its website, Conquest has published an extensive list of its current and former clients, including political organizations or people who have run for office in South Carolina. The South Carolina Republican Party, House Republican Caucus and Senate Caucus are listed, along with Speaker Bobby Harrell and Rep. Joe Wilson.
McMaster is the only gubernatorial candidate that the company lists.
Walker suggested that the accusations arose from "a few local Barrett supporters that were asked about the fact that Congressman Barrett voted for the bailout, and they were defensive. They were upset and said they were push polled."
Speaking Friday, Barrett discussed voting for the Bush Administration's Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) saying it was something that he felt was needed urgently at the time. He also defended his voting record, since stating, "Nobody has voted against the Obama spending spree more than me, except one congressman."
In a tightly contested race for the Governor's Mansion, Barrett and McMaster have been sparing in recent months, throwing negative jabs back and forth.
Barrett sent out a news release on Tax Day, April 15, as "a friendly reminder, that today is, in fact, Tax Day, and that he (McMaster) should probably pay his taxes just in case he's forgotten." The attack was to draw attention to past delinquencies on property tax payments of McMaster's.
On the same day, the attorney general hit back via spokesman Rob Godfrey, saying, "Thanks to Congressman Barrett and his colleagues in Washington, we'll all be paying a lot more in taxes for generations to come."
Rep. Nikki Haley and Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer are also candidates for the GOP nomination in the June 8 primary.
Contact Mike Gellatly at mgellatly@aikenstandard.com.