Dem Poll Puts Denish Way Ahead of Wilson & Pearce

Like my former colleague Jonathan McDonald once wrote in an old Roundhouse Roundup column, "Polls taken by candidates' campaigns, of course, must be taken with enough salt to turn a bull moose into jerky." Same goes for polls commissioned by groups like the Democratic Governors Association or Republican Governors Association.

But, of course, such polls are fun to look at, so get out the salt and take a gander.

This poll, taken between May 31 and June 4 of 613 "likely voters" in the state, shows Lt. Gov. Diane Denish beating both Heather Wilson and Steve Pearce by a 57 to 35 percent margin. Democrat Denish leads both Anglos and Hispanics and men and women.

The poll, conducted by Harstad Strategic Research of Boulder, Colo. , says Denish is leading in the 1st Congressional District, which Wilson used to represent, by a 53 to 40 percent margin.

Keep in mind neither Wilson nor Pearce, also a former Republican Congressman, have declared they are running for governor. I haven't yet talked to Pearce, who lost the Senate race to Tom Udall last year, about 2010. Wilson has told me -- and several others -- she is seriously considering it.

Here's the poll memo:
DGA POLL