US Senate
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September 1, 2004
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Bill Shapard

In U.S. Senate race, Coburn gains ground in August.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Coming off of a competitive primary in late July, Tom Coburn (R) started the month of August almost even with his Democratic competitor Brad Carson, considering the margin of error of 3.5%. Yet, August was a good month for the former congressman from Muskogee, gaining a slight lead by the end of month and just beyond the margin of error.

SoonerPoll.com, a public opinion research firm in Oklahoma City, conducted the tracking survey of 435 statewide general election voters on August 30th, and compared the results with a baseline poll run on July 30th just after the primary.

"As both candidates are working hard to define this race, it would appear that Dr. Coburn is beginning to establish a small lead," said Kristen Starkey, Vice President of Research for SoonerPoll.com. "However, there is still a lot of time until election day."

To date, the race has focused on transportation spending. Carson has attacked Coburn for turning down federal highway money while in Congress, while Coburn has defended his record calling the spending bill "corrupt and wasteful." Coburn has pointed to the need for courageous leadership with those willing to make the tough budget decisions.

Bill Shapard
About the Author

Bill Shapard

Bill is the founder of SoonerPoll.com and ShapardResearch, a full service market research firm based in Oklahoma City. Bill began his career in polling after working on major campaigns for both Republicans and Democrats in Oklahoma from 1996 until founding SoonerPoll in 2004.