Gene MaddausCongresswoman Janice Hahn — still getting used to that — released a poll today that gives her a wide margin over her two potential opponents in the new 44th Congressional District.
As always with in-house polls, they only release them when they're favorable, so grab your salt shaker.
But if the numbers are to be believed, African-American leaders have a lot of work to do if they want to hang on to their three seats in L.A. Where's Merv Dymally? Is he on this?
Here's the result:
Rep. Janice Hahn: 47
Rep. Laura Richardson: 24
Asm. Isadore Hall: 7
Laura Richardson: In trouble?
Hall's problem is that nobody knows who he is. Richardson's problem is that people know exactly who she is, and they don't like her. According to Hahn's poll, Richardson has a favorability rating of just 37%. (Though she does much better with black voters, at 68%.)
That may explain why the Legislative Black Caucus endorsed Hall this week. His problem can be solved by campaigning. Richardson faces a tougher task of remaking her image.
According to the poll, Hahn does better than Richardson even among black voters. Hahn claims a 74% favorable rating among African-Americans, to Richardson's 68%.
For that, she can thank her father. Supervisor Kenneth Hahn's image remains strong in the black community. Hahn's pollsters asked a question about him, and found he has a 65% favorable rating in the district — even though he's been dead for 14 years. Now that's a powerful brand.
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