Organization takes aim at Udall

Conservative group using push-polls to attack Senate hopeful, campaign manager says

By Steve Terrell | The New Mexican

5/12/2008

U.S. Rep. Tom Udall's Senate campaign said Monday that Udall has become the target of a "push-poll" by a national conservative group.

"We've just received some disturbing news from one of our staff — the GOP 'Swift Boat' attacks on Tom Udall have begun here in New Mexico. She got an automated 'push-poll' phone call from an organization misleadingly calling itself 'Common Sense Issues' this weekend," said Amanda Cooper, Udall's stepdaughter and campaign manager in an e-mail to supporters.

Cooper couldn't be reached for comment about details of the poll Monday.

Representatives of the group couldn't be reached for comment Monday night at the phone number listed on its Web site.

Push-polls are telephone calls designed not to determine statistics about voter opinion but to spread negative information about a candidate in the form of questions.

A Jan. 9 story in Newsweek said, "Common Sense Issues is a tax-exempt group registered in Delaware whose organizers have acknowledged the use of controversial telephone polling tactics to promote (Mike) Huckabee presidential bid — and allegedly to trash the campaigns of the former Arkansas governor's rivals." Huckabee's campaign denied any connection with the group.

Common Sense Issues' Web site lists "life issues" as its top priority. Among other issues listed are liberty, economics, national security, "natural family" and "confronting radical Islam."

Contact Steve Terrell at 986-3037 or sterrell@sfnewmexican.com.