Presidential Poll Results

And vote for your congressional candidate!

By Darren Johnson
Journal & Press

(Read to the end of this message for a new election poll!)

Sorry for the later newsletter today. I had to do three morning interviews for the next paper, two with local candidates running for office and one announcing a new building in the village of Greenwich. Stay tuned for that.

This time of year, considering the fluid nature of news now, it’s always a question of timing for political story placements. The last print issue would have been ideal, considering early voting is about to start, but I tend to think early voters know who they are picking and don’t need our help.

So the next print issue will be dated Nov. 1, with the political interviews, but I’ll get it out a little before then. Election Day is Nov. 5. I also can release stories via this medium, which seems to have a good readership rate.

Presidential Poll Results

I have a feeling people know a lot about the presidential race but may not know as much about the local candidates.

Here are the results of the poll we put out there yesterday:

Now, Harris wins here easily, and one can say that’s because Substack leans left in general, but I have done previous polls here that have gotten a better GOP result. While this newsletter is ON Substack, the readers are mainly from The Journal & Press, so aren’t radicals, right or left, for the most part.

Revolutionizing Newspaper Endorsements

I noted the difficulties with newspaper endorsements in our modern times in a previous email, but did a poll and realize the people here, on Substack at least, like them, at least as interesting reading — even if they don’t agree with them.

To be honest, the press has been arrogant with them — at least last century — and a big problem with them was that they usually favored incumbents. That’s not fair to challengers.

So here’s what we’re doing. We are going to poll you, the audience. As well, I have formed a several-member informal editorial board comprised of the writers and other regular contributors to this paper and will craft a balanced narrative for each race taking all of the above into account. I guess I’d liken myself to the Chief Justice on the Supreme Court but obviously am just one vote of several.

Presidential Endorsement: Harris

The editorial board has begun chiming in, and I think it’s safe to call this endorsement — also factoring in the audience response above — for Kamala Harris.

Now you may be saying surprise, surprise … liberal media, blah, blah.

But our board has chimed in on other races and has picked Republicans thus far, too. Those results will be released piecemeal in the days ahead.

But among our editorial board, the anti-Trump sentiment, even among our Republican-leaning members, is obvious.

New York isn’t a swing state. I’ve personally voted third party in presidential races because in this state if the third party gets a certain number of votes, it becomes “official,” so my vote actually mattered more for that third party.

But there are no third party candidates on the presidential ballot now in this state. Actually, during Andrew Cuomo’s run, the state used Covid and executive power to further stifle these parties.

In any case, while New York isn’t a swing state, and we don’t get barraged with the advertising in such states — they are even buying college newspaper ads in places like Pennsylvania — it is rather apparent that most New Yorkers like their candidate to act “presidential.”

One staunch GOPer I spoke with recently did say that a lot of the stuff Trump does is repugnant, plus, win or lose, he has kind of destroyed the longterm viability of the party because now the farm system filled with lesser clones in blue suits and red ties saying a lot of the same outrageous things.

Still, that staunch GOPer will vote for Trump. To him, it’s the lesser of two evils, and Harris represents things he finds problematic about Democratic-led government; namely, stances on immigration and a feeling about being “judged” socially.

But I would guess some of the 76% number in favor of Harris above just are tired of the circus. Trump can claim the media creates the circus, but at the same time he baits them like a heel wrestler would the audience. Lots of blame of both sides.

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And Our Next Poll — Congress

Paula Collins

Elise Stefanik

Please vote. It’s anonymous. More tomorrow.