PPP has a new survey of Republican primary voters in the Pelican State, and it’s pretty fascinating. New Orleans Saints Coach Sean Payton, just suspended for a year over the team’s injury-bounty system, has a robust 74/11 approval/disapproval ratio. Meanwhile LSU Coach Les Miles, who led his team to an SEC West title and a spot in the national championship game last year, registered a tepid 49/36 ratio. But that’s not a reflection of the cities they work in: Louisiana Republicans disapprove of their internationally beloved big city, New Orleans, by a 39/51 margin, but approve of Baton Rouge by a 67/20 margin (and even of Shreveport by a 54-18 margin).
Have you been to these cities? Where would you want to spend a weekend?
Oh yeah, nearly forgot: Republicans are holding a presidential primary Saturday as well, and Rick Santorum leads Mitt Romney in the PPP survey by a big 42-28 margin, with once-formidable-in-this-state Newt Gingrich fading to an irrelevant 18%. GOP voters seem to be polarizing even more than in the past, with Rick trouncing Mitt by a two-to-one margin among “very conservative” voters and by even more than that among evangelicals and rural voters. Despite his poor statewide standing, though, Mitt’s still ahead among urban voters.
Looks like Santorum could narrowly register his first win among Catholic voters this whole year, which will please his Opus Dei friends. But unfortunately for Rick, only 20 of the state’s 43 delegates are bound by primary results. The expected Santorum win is not going to in any respect shake up the race, though a loss here could have been curtains, as it should be for Newt (who’s got some roots here, having gone to graduate school at Tulane–you know, in that horrid city of New Orleans).
Too bad for Sean Payton he’s not on the ballot, since, as it turns out, he’s got some time on his hands.
