AZ-01: Rick Renzi (R)The most recent polling proves what we have suspected for a few weeks now – that Democrat Paul Babbitt is not gaining much traction in the race against freshman GOP Rep. Rick Renzi. Still, Republicans remain somewhat nervous about this very marginal district.
The poll taken by Northern Arizona University (October 15-17 of 411 likely voters), showed Renzi ahead of Babbitt, 53 percent to 30 percent. Babbitt’s own poll taken earlier this fall (September 16-19 of 400 likely voters) by Lake Snell Perry showed a much closer race but he still trailed Renzi, 37 percent to 46 percent. The poll also gave Renzi a pretty good job rating, especially for a freshman in such a big district. In the Babbitt poll, 47 percent gave Renzi an “excellent/good” job rating while 39 percent rated him “fair/poor.”
Overall, Babbitt has been counting on the district’s competitive nature (Democrats outnumber Republicans in voter registration by 34,102), his deep roots in the district (his family has lived in Flagstaff since the 1880s), and Renzi’s voting record (which Babbitt dubs a proxy
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