By Yellow Sheet Report
An Oregon-based market research company conducted a poll last week that asked a number of questions about energy deregulation, among a host of other utility-related questions, and surveyed respondents’ on the job performances of three GOP gubernatorial hopefuls, our reporter learned from a source that participated in the poll.
The 15-minute live-caller poll asked the source – a registered independent with a history of voting in Republican primaries – about the job performances of Secretary of State Ken Bennett, Treasurer Doug Ducey and Mesa Mayor Scott Smith, along with Gov. Jan Brewer, the Legislature, the Corporation Commission and President Obama.
The poll also contained two questions about gun policy, asking the respondent whether all firearms purchases should require background checks and whether children would be better protected by armed guards in schools or stricter gun regulations.
But the poll focused largely on utility issues. It asked whether Arizona would be better off if the energy industry was deregulated and polled respondents on the numerous pros and cons of the deregulation debate, including cost to consumers and whether it would create an open playing field for power companies. The poll asked whether Arizona should stop having the Corp Commission determine which power companies can serve parts of the state. It noted that California deregulated its energy industry in the 1990s, and that some blamed the move for increased costs and power outages. The poll also asked the respondents about the Corp Commission’s renewable energy standard and the new EPA regulations for the Navajo Generating Station, as well as their opinions of Arizona Public Service, Salt River Project and Tucson Electric Power. The poll was conducted by Portland-based Market Decisions Research, which bills itself as a custom market research company. Though the poll asked about potential gubernatorial candidates, the questions indicated that politics wasn’t its primary purpose. The poll did not mention that Bennett, Ducey and Smith were eyeing gubernatorial runs, and asked the source, who’s registered to vote in Phoenix, about the Mesa mayor’s job performance. MDC’s client list on its website includes banks, manufacturers, restaurant chains, insurance companies, government agencies, tech companies and utilities, but no political campaigns. A spokesman for MDC said he couldn’t divulge any information about the poll.
