Rep. Huelskamp and challenger Roger Marshall
Fort Hays State University’s Docking Institute of Public Affairs on Sunday released the results of a political poll which measured Kansans’ candidate and policy preferences on key issues.
The poll — conducted from July 11 through July 21 — showed a race too close to call in the Republican primary in the Big First congressional district between challenger Roger Marshall and incumbent Tim Huelskamp. Marshall polled at 40.9 percent, and Huelskamp was at 40.3 percent.
In the presidential race, Republican nominee Donald Trump held a comfortable lead over Democrat Hillary Clinton, 44 percent to 27 percent, among likely voters.
In other poll results, 60 percent of respondents were at least “somewhat dissatisfied” with President Barack Obama, while 77 percent were at least “somewhat dissatisfied” with Gov. Sam Brownback. Sen. Jerry Moran had 42 percent of respondents at least “somewhat satisfied.”
Three-fifths (60 percent) of those polled were at least “somewhat dissatisfied” with the Kansas Legislature.
About two-thirds (67 percent) would not vote for President Obama again, and 79 percent of respondents would not vote for Gov. Brownback again. Forty-five percent of respondents would vote for Sen. Moran if he were running for re-election today.
As for the Kansas economy, 25 percent of respondents rated it as at least “good,” and 37 percent rated it as “poor” or “very poor.”
More than two-thirds of respondents (69 percent) were at least “somewhat dissatisfied” with the Kansas Legislature’s handling of the school finance issue.
Less than half of respondents (46 percent) were at least “somewhat dissatisfied” with the Kansas Supreme Court’s handling of the school finance issue.
Almost one-third of respondents (32 percent) said they at least “somewhat support” the recently passed school finance bill.
Banning the sale of firearms to persons on the no-fly list received at least “somewhat support” from 71 percent of respondents.
Over half of respondents (52 percent) at least “somewhat support” banning the sale of military style assault rifles to citizens, while 41 percent at least “somewhat oppose.”
Forty-five percent of respondents at least “somewhat support” banning the sale of high capacity (over 10 rounds) magazines to citizens, while 45 percent at least “somewhat oppose.”
Almost half of respondents (49 percent) feel that transgender students should be required to use only the bathroom that matches their biological sex. One-fourth (25 percent) would allow transgender students to use the bathroom of the gender with which they identify.
Two-thirds of respondents (67 percent) feel the federal government overstepped its authority when issuing a mandate to allow individuals to use the bathroom of the gender with which they self-identify with and should, instead, allow the states to make their own regulations.
Nine newspapers in the state sponsored the poll: Salina Journal, Hutchinson News, Garden City Telegram, Great Bend Tribune, Lawrence Journal-World, Topeka Capital-Journal, Wichita Eagle, Hays Daily News and Ottawa Herald.