If a statewide pollster is correct, the Virg Benero campaign for
Governor should start looking for a new theme song. How 'bout Roy
Orbison's "It's Over."
Steve Mitchell from Mitchell Research concludes, "The race is
pretty much over."
The Bernero folks won't like that and won't be too fond of Mr.
Mitchell either even though the pollster "likes Virg' and even
consulted him during his effort to become Mayor of Lansing.
"He is a great mayor," Mitch concludes but his campaign for
governor just got off to a lousy start.
"He never defined himself" in the primary against Andy Dillon,
the Mitchell reasoning goes. And while that was going on, the GOP
candidate Rick Snyder spent $7 million smackers to define his image
with the voters which has resulted in Snyder sitting fat and sassy with
a 12-20 point lead, if the polls are correct.
Bernero, of course, is not tossing in the towel, but it's an
uphill jaunt and if he overcomes the Nerd it will be the come back win
of the century.
The Democrat did not get the bounce he needed out of the one and
only debate. He out performed the Ann Arbor business guy with little
if any debating experience. But Snyder did not goof up and the public
reaction was equally divided between the two.
With no game changer there, Bernero has only his TV commercials
and personal appearances and free media to get the job done. He got a
shot in the arm as his coffers reportedly got a kick in the pants of
well over a million bucks this week. That will help if it is true.
Having declared the race all but over, Mitchell was asked on the
Off the Record public TV broadcast (wkar.org) what scared him about
Snyder, whom Mitchell does not know.
"He is not part of the process (in the capitol) but he can
surround himself with people who are," he reports.
It would be neat, before the election, to know exactly who those
folks might be.
In fact both guys should share, don't you agree?