Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Opinion

Not All Convention Bounces Are Created Equal

September 08, 2008 05:00 PM ET | Bonnie Erbe | Permanent Link | Print

Interesting piece on Gallup.com today showing the history of post-convention bounces for presidential candidates. Unlike the phrase "He who dies with the most toys wins," he or she who gets the biggest post-convention bounce (OK, there have been no "shes" yet) does not always win.

Check this out: In 1984, Walter Mondale generated a 9-point lead coming out of the Democratic convention and Ronald Reagan a comparatively small 4-point bounce. Who won? You remember! There are always the debates to upend the poll numbers coming out of the conventions.

Tags: Democratic National Convention | Gallup | Republican National Convention

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Reader Comments

True, but...

If Obama had the lead in the polls, you'd be singing a different tune. How about unbiased news reporting for a change? Your politics are showing. That's unethical, now isn't it?

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About Bonnie Erbe

Bonnie Erbe is a contributing editor at U.S. News & World Report and hosts PBS's weekly news analysis program, To the Contrary with Bonnie Erbe. She also writes a weekly syndicated newspaper column for Scripps Howard News Service.

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