While Sen. Debbie Stabenow’s re-election polling numbers are improving, the Republicans are already loading up on ammunition to use against her in the 2012 campaign.
Earlier this year, the National Journal’s much-cited rankings of congressional members tagged Stabenow, a Lansing Democrat, as the Senate’s most liberal member. It may be hard to believe that she ranks ahead of Vermont’s Bernie Sanders, an avowed socialist, but it will also be hard for the incumbent to nit-pick the NJ analysis.
In addition, a GOP internal poll still shows Stabenow’s approval rating under water, butting heads with the Public Policy Polling survey that found her position vastly improving.
Stabenow’s approval rating stands at just 30 percent in a Strategic National poll commissioned by the GOP, according to Politico.
That’s a 16 point difference from PPP’s assessment, which found the second-term Democrat’s approval to be at 46 percent.
In addition, a GOP internal poll still shows Stabenow’s approval rating under water, butting heads with the Public Policy Polling survey that found her position vastly improving.
Stabenow’s approval rating stands at just 30 percent in a Strategic National poll commissioned by the GOP, according to Politico.
That’s a 16 point difference from PPP’s assessment, which found the second-term Democrat’s approval to be at 46 percent.
What’s more, a second attempt to rank senators on the liberal/conservative specter found Stabenow the second-most liberal member of the Senate.
The National Taxpayers Union found that the Michigan incumbent trails only Sanders. The NTU has annually employed its BillTally system to “cost out” each bill introduced or sponsored by each member of the House and Senate during the previous year.
Stabenow’s total? $772 billion.
Don’t be surprised if you see that number repeatedly splashed across your TV screen – probably in red – when the GOP launches its anti-Stabenow ad campaign in 2012.
