Bill Gibbons Republican Candidate for Governor of TN Releases Poll

MEMPHIS – In a county that contributes more votes to GOP candidates than any other in Tennessee, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Gibbons has overwhelming support and off-the-chart favorables, according to a poll released today.

Not surprisingly, Shelby County Republicans support Gibbons for governor with 60 percent support over U.S. Congressman Zach Wamp (3 percent) and Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam (0 percent), with the rest undecided.

“People strongly believe that Bill Gibbons is ‘committed to public service,’ is ‘honest and trustworthy,’ and has the ‘courage to do what is right.’ He polled especially strong in the areas of competency and character,” said pollster Dr. John Bakke, who consulted on the poll conducted by Memphis-based research firm Ethridge & Associates.

The survey was conducted for the Gibbons for Governor campaign in late January.

Gibbons, who has served as Shelby County District Attorney for the past 12 years, enjoys nearly 100 percent name recognition among Shelby County Republicans, and a whopping 65 percent said he would make a good governor for Tennessee. Of the 72 percent who registered an opinion about Gibbons, 91 percent were favorable.

Bakke said Gibbons’ more than 25 years of public and private service and GOP leadership have made a deep and positive impression on Shelby Countians.

“This poll shows Gibbons simply does not have a negative,” Bakke said. “The majority believe that as Shelby County’s District Attorney General, Gibbons is ‘tough on crime,’ a ‘strong leader,’ and a ‘good administrator and executive.'”

Gibbons said his campaign commissioned the poll to get a clear picture of his hometown support, which also happens to be a GOP stronghold in Tennessee.

“You can’t expect to be successful in a campaign unless the people who know you and your record best think well of you and are behind you,” said Gibbons. “This poll shows they do and they are, and I vow not take that support for granted as I embark on my campaign for the state’s top job.”

The strong, solid support for Gibbons in Shelby County is significant, Bakke says, because Shelby County contributes such a large bloc of GOP votes as a share of the overall votes in statewide races. In the 2006 primary race involving Bob Corker, Ed Bryant and Van Hilleary to determine the U.S. Senate nominee, 13 percent of the overall GOP vote was cast in Shelby County. The next largest contributing county was Knox, with 7 percent of the total votes. The addition of neighboring suburban Tipton and Fayette Counties increases Memphis-area GOP support to 15 percent of the overall state Republican primary votes.

Gibbons for Governor Chairman David Kustoff, former state campaign chairman for U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander, and manager of the Bush-Tennessee 2000 campaign, said, “Shelby Countians like and respect Bill Gibbons and hold him in very high regard. Once Tennesseans get to know Bill and understand his vision for better schools, safer communities and his plan to generate new jobs, they’ll have the same kind of confidence that he is the right person to lead our state as governor.”

Gibbons also scores well among independent voters and Democrats. Independents, by a margin of more than 2 to 1 (43-18), and Democrats by a margin of nearly 2 to1 (35-19), said Gibbons would make a good governor for Tennessee. Gibbons also enjoys high favorable opinions among Democrats (55 percent) and independents (65 percent).