The phone call came in Monday afternoon. “Jaime,” if that is her real name, was surprised that the person who answered was not just willing but happy to participate in a survey about “important issues in Florida.” Ladra just loves these calls.
Turned out to be one of many recent polls for the congressional primary in District 27, testing message points on both Miami Commissioner Ken Russell and State Sen. Annette Taddeo, both of whom jumped into this race from another contest (U.S. senator and Florida governor, respectively), to go against Republican Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar.
In the gubernatorial contest, Taddeo was trailing both Charlie Crist and Nikki Fried — in both polls and money raised. But everyone said she had a poll where she beat Salazar, another top Democrat Party target. Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins cited the poll when she withdrew immediately after announcing an eye for the congressional seat.
Read related: Sen. Annette Taddeo shifts from Florida guv’s race to congressional bid in CD27
This week, her campaign released results from a May poll of 400 voters, which shows her in a dead heat with Salazar. Despite enviable name recognition (87%!), Salazar — a former Spanish-language television journalist — leads Taddeo by just two points head-to-head, with 47% against 45%. That’s comfortably within the five-point margin of error.
What’s more, Taddeo flips that lead 48% to 45% after the participants heard positive biographical messages about her.
“This poll confirms that Sen. Annette Taddeo is the best candidate to flip this seat from red to blue and beat Rep. Salazar this November,” said Nick Merlino, Taddeo’s campaign manager. “Her story of resilience and unifying message resonate with the voters of this district and I’m confident that over the coming weeks and months she’ll earn the trust and support of the community.”
The campaign also released results from a June poll that show Taddeo beats Russell in the primary by a whopping 36 points with 51% to 15% in the first response. After reading positive biographical messages about both of them, their scores go up: Taddeo’s support soars to 71% and Russell’s rises to 19%.
A third candidate got no more than 2% and the rest are undecided. Both polls were done by Sarasota-based SEA Polling & Strategic Design.
That brings us back to Jaime and the June 27 call. Not ours, Merlino told Ladra. “Monday was probably mine,” Russell told Ladra. And some of the questions asked did make it seem his. Russell hasn’t released any results yet.
Jaime did ask for the voter’s opinion of both Salazar and Gov. Ron DeSantis. She giggled when she heard the answer. Then she asked the voter to rate the “important Florida” issues and whether they were critical, very important, somewhat important or not important at all. Among them were inflation, cost of housing, the COVID response, the war in Ukraine, Don’t Say Gay, gun control, crime and criminal justice reform.
Read related: Ken Russell’s about face on Miami Freedom Park vote seals political fate
Then she moved on right away and spent the rest of the call on CD27.
First, she asked if the voter’s opinion was favorable or not about each of the candidates. There was also a “do not know” category, which was likely used most for Angel Montalvo.
Taddeo was described as the self-made daughter of an American fighter pilot who fled the violence in Colombia, worked her way through college, helped her parents rebuild after Hurricane Andrew and started her small business before she led the fight against DeSantis’ anti-freedom agenda. Russell was painted as a local yokel who ran for office because his kid’s park was contaminated but has risen to take on toxic algae, sea level rise and limits on campaign contributions. He also champions the $15 hourly minimum wage.
The caller asked at least four times who the voter would choose “if the election were today,” in between a series of “if you knew” questions asking for answers that range from very convincing to not at all convincing. They if you knews on Taddeo were mostly negative.
Would you be more convinced or less convinced to vote for Russell if you knew Taddeo “happily accepts Big Sugar money” or that she “constantly runs for office … instead of taking care of her constituency.” Jaime also said that she was one of the “few liberals to get a thank you note from the NRA” after her vote on the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas bill after Parkland.
What she voted against was arming teachers. But that doesn’t matter to the pollster. They are gauging the message.
Russell, on the other hand, speaks a bunch of languages and had pushed for a $15 minimum wage, was completing the Baywalk, passed a $200 million bond to combat sea level rise, supports “trolleys, bike lanes and other mobility options,” was part of the Miami Forever Bond to invest $400 million into housing, parks and mitigation and voted to turn Melreese from a contaminated swath of land to a park.
Yeah, about that last one.
That’s how Russell justifies his vote to change the zoning and land use for Miami Freedom Park, which is a huge complex of office, retail, a hotel, parking and a 25,000-seat soccer stadium, not just park.
So it was his poll. Can’t wait to get the results.
Polls test Ken Russell, Annette Taddeo in CD27 primary and vs incumbent added by Ladra on
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Useless Ken Russell and the grifter Marc Sarnoff AKA a fake Sarnoff, who proceeded Ken Doll are both grifters and both hurt Miami’s taxpayers.
Democrats and Republicans can vote for Annette Taddeo. (Ken Russell’s career is dead. All Russell can do now is take more money from lobbyists and developers.)
‘ Ken Russell’s career is over ‘
I would not be to sure about that , Miami is not known for its political standards and his ads are good for party line Democrats .
Party line Democrats and party line Republicans over look a lot of things like a candidate who betrays them , only works for special interest .
That letter in front of a name holds a lot of power .
‘ Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar promoted false conspiracy theories to sow doubt about a legitimate election. She spread the Big Lie.
Salazar also voted NO on creating the January 6th Committee. Yeah, WHAT!? Self-accountability is not her strong suit.
No matter what happens with Trump, or how long it takes, we can hold Salazar to account on November 8th.
Democracy is on the line.
Ken Russell’
Ken Russell’s career is over. Disgraced ex-commish Marc Sarnoff should keep his day job – which is being a lobbyist for sleazy companies and disgusting criminals.
THey are all awful and this is why Maria Elvira will win again. Ken Russell is a crook with no spine, and he belongs in a surfs shop at best. Taddeo is a centrist career politician of the Manchin and Sonema kind that we do not need, and that uses the socialism boogeyman to support Trumpian extreme Right wing politicians and billionaires in her native Colombia. Finally, Salazar is a disgrace but at least she is not fooling anybody. The other two are just not an option. We will have Salazar 2 more years.
‘ You were outsmarted by Marc Sarnoff. He always thought you were an idiot. You proved him right! ‘
LOL
I looked up Marc Sarnoff and like him because he is as self serving , up for sale as the Cuban Commissioners so in a weird way I do not feel so ashamed .
Marc Sarnoff is like another Jose Pepe Diaz , Alex Diaz de la Portilla and rest of the self serving flunkies .
This is funny —
‘ ‘Burn Notice’ producers remind Marc Sarnoff that TV explosions are fake’
Exactly 30 years ago this month – in August of 1982 – a Miami City Commissioner told the producers of the movie “Scarface” to rewrite the film’s script. If they refused, he would ask his fellow commission members to ban the production from filming on Miami streets and city-owned property.
Sarnoff’s proposal was met with, what can best be described as polite bemusement, from a spokesperson for the show’s parent company, Fox Television.
According to Miami Today, Fox studio spokesperson Leslie Oren said this: “While the special effects on “Burn Notice’ are great, the production does not actually blow up buildings. [emphasis mine.] I am sure the City of Miami knows that we wouldn’t, under any circumstances, blow up the Coconut Grove Convention Center.”
“Ken is leaving his seat early and giving the seat to Marc Sarnoff.” Ick. Marc Sarnoff is worse than Ken boy. Sarnoff flipped and flopped until every breath and every word he mumbled was to benefit sleazy criminal developers. The Sarnoff dude even voted to demolish the beloved Orange Bowl AND Sarnoff voted to force the taxpayers to pay over $3 Billion for the Marlins Stadium. Sarnoff’s politician career is dead.
I received a similar call. However, my pollster did not know how to pronounce Annette Taddeo. They kept calling her Annette “Toodoo”; as in the sentence, “I need ‘to do’ my homework.” I did not figure out that they were referring to Annette Taddeo until the end of the call.- Time to hire a new polling company.
Ken needs to go back spinning his yo-yo. He voted in favor the very same issue that he was voted into Office for. He ran on saving a contaminated park so his kid and those in the neighborhood could enjoy. He got the best of Commissioner Sarnoff and his puppet wife. Now on a twisting and manipulative kind a way, Sarnoff turned the tables on him. Marc Sarnoff is behind the Melreese Golf Course Project. He has Art Noriega, Francis Suarez, Joe Carollo, and Alex De La Portillo in his pocket. When they all pressured Ken Russell to vote in favor of the Soccer Stadium and development, he in turn, voted to get rid of a public park, which was also contaminated, and take it away from the kids ever enjoying it. A complete contradiction as to how he started his political career.
KEN RUSSEL YOUR POLITICAL CAREER IS OVER! YOU COMMMITED POLITICAL SUICIDE.
You were outsmarted by Marc Sarnoff. He always thought you were an idiot. You proved him right!
‘ Ken Russell’s career is over’
Ken Russell like so many in Miami works exclusively for developers so hope you are correct but you never know in Miami as selling out the voters is OFTEN rewarded here by those who have been sold out as far as these political parasites are reelected or elected to another office.
Unfortunately plenty of voters are still loyal to the letter ‘D’ or ‘R’ which is a con in Miami as 90 percent of these politicos should run under the letter ‘W’ for Wh@re owned by developers .
Self published push poll is news? Ok slow news in the dead of summer and these 2 also rans will take anything they can get. They both did the same KB parade, lost in a sea of candidates from 1/2 dozen other races. Ken look lonely and pathetic and Annette was popular among the demo choir
Ken is leaving g his seat early and giving the seat to Marc Sarnoff.
WE Don’t Trust The POLLS ! and The Politicians that “Want to create a Miami/ HANOI “!
Political Dead End. Ken Russell has been a useless public servant. Russell has screwed his constituents BUT Russell has consistently sold his vote to sleazy real estate developers. For proof, just look at his campaign donor list. Russell’s worst decision was voting Yes to demolish Melreese Park. Billionaire Jorge Mas put Ken Doll under mild pressure AND Ken doll caved in.
Ken Russell’s career is over. Ken doll voted Yes to demolish a 130 acre public park in Miami. Ken caved into pressure from several out of town based billionaires and their flunky Francis Suarez… Ken voted against his constituents interests. Ken will never get elected again.