Hoekstra: Lack of 'outside' spending has hindered Senate bid

Source: Detroit News

October 3, 2012 at 7:47 pm
Hoekstra: Lack of 'outside' spending has hindered Senate bid
By Leonard N. Fleming
The Detroit News


Detroit — U.S. Republican Senate candidate Pete Hoekstra said he needs to close the gap with independents and undecided voters in the final weeks of the campaign to have a chance to unseat Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow.

Hoekstra told The Detroit News Editorial Board on Wednesday the lack of "outside" spending in favor of him or Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in Michigan — as well as a drawn-out primary that drained his resources — has hindered his campaign.

"I think I'm behind. It's an uphill battle," the former nine-term U.S. representative said. "There's no doubt that the top of the ticket influences whether people are going to throw resources into this race or not. Outside groups have not made the commitment that says we're going to have to go after the electoral votes in Michigan."

In a Detroit News / WDIV Local 4 poll in early September, Stabenow was ahead of Hoekstra by a 50 percent to 34 percent margin. But among independents, Stabenow only had a 3 point lead, 34 percent to 31 percent. The live operator poll of 600 likely voters in November had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.



Read more: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20121003/POLITICS01/210030448#ixzz28HhUnRoS

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Cry me a river, Leaky Pete!