Hostettler Leading in Polls

A new Daily Kos/Research 2000 poll reaffirms what other polls have also been suggesting – former U.S. Rep. John Hostettler is the Republican’s strongest candidate against Brad Ellsworth. In a head to head battle between Dan Coats and Ellsworth, Coats leads Ellsworth by a mere 37 percent to 36 percent, with 27 percent undecided. By contrast Hostettler leads Ellsworth 40 percent to 24 percent, with 26 percent undecided.

A previous poll conducted by Rasmussen did given Coats and equal percentage with Hostettler, but in it Ellsworth fared far better against Coats.

Taken together it would seem as though Hostettler is slowly but surely positioning himself as the Republicans’ best chance at victory in the fall. Coats’s moderate/lefist voting record on things like judges and gun control, and near pride at his Washington insider status, seem to be taking its toll. Ultimately, though, Hostettler’s greatest weakness may be state Sen. Marlin Stutzman. These two conservative candidates are drawing from the same pool of voters and tapping into the same anti-Coats sentiment. Either of these candidates – Hostettler or Stutzman – would seem to have the potential to take the party’s nomination, but with both in the race such a feat seems near impossible.

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