By TODD STACY, Alabama Daily News
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – An early internal poll from the Troy King for Congress campaign shows the former attorney general with high name recognition and a lead an early ballot test with other announced and potential candidates for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District.
A Tarrance Group survey paid for by King shows a significant gap in voter awareness between previously-elected politicians and their lesser-known, unannounced competitors. King enjoyed the highest name recognition in the survey at 88%. Others also enjoyed relatively high name ID: at 18% was former State Rep. Barry Moore, who ran unsuccessfully for the seat last year, and at 17% current State Rep. Will Dismukes, the newly elected state lawmakers who was the first to announce he was running this summer.
Others who have discussed running but haven’t officially announced or formed committees, like Dothan businessman Jeff Coleman and Prattville attorney/entrepreneur Jessica Taylor, are lesser known by voters, according to the poll.
There are some caveats to the survey. King’s poll has a relatively low number of respondents at just 303. That led to a correspondingly high margin of error of +/- 5.8 percent. The survey was also taken before the field is truly settled.
U.S. Rep. Martha Roby, who has represented the 2nd District in Congress since 2011, announced she would not seek reelection on July 29. Since then, three candidates – Dismukes, Moore, and Montgomery electrician Bob Rogers have officially announced their candidacies. Coleman told Alabama Daily News he was “all in” to pursue the seat with much of the Dothan business community behind him, but said an official announcement would come later. Taylor, who the wife of former State Sen. Bryan Taylor, has been discussed as a potential candidate, but has not publicly announced her plans.
Survey results from the Tarrance Group below.
Name Recognition / Favorability
| Candidate | Aware | Favorable | Unfavorable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Troy King | 88% | 48% | 23% |
| Barry Moore | 58% | 28% | 15% |
| Will Dismukes | 40% | 28% | 15% |
| Jeff Coleman | 16% | 7% | 3% |
| Bob Rogers | 15% | 6% | 2% |
| Jessica Taylor | 9% | 3% | 2% |
Ballot Test
| Candidate | % |
|---|---|
| Troy King | 34% |
| Barry Moore | 18% |
| Will Dismukes | 17% |
| Jeff Coleman | 5% |
| Jessica Taylor | 2% |
| Bob Rogers | 2% |
| Undecided | 23% |