Candidate says he's victim of push polling

County commissioner Dave Brady has filed a complaint with the Nevada Secretary of State's Office, stating he is the victim of a push poll.

Brady, who was appointed by the governor in 2005 to replace Jacques Etchegoyhen, originally filed a complaint with the Douglas County Clerk's Office on Oct. 19 and then asked Monday that the complaint be forwarded to the state.

In a push poll, the pollster asks leading questions to skew the person's view of the candidate.

In this case, Brady wrote Clerk-Treasurer Barbara Griffin that the pollster asked specifically about the Douglas County Commission District 2 race. He then asked that the investigation be forwarded to the Secretary of State's Office.

Brady received a report about the poll on Oct. 16 from Judy Sturgis, co-chairwoman of the Sustainable Growth Initiative Committee.

"Others have said Dave Brady is aligned with the Sustainable Growth Initiatives activists and his refusal to consider public input is little more than obstructionism. Knowing this, will you be voting for Dave Brady or Lloyd Higuera," Sturgis reported the pollster said.

Higuera and Brady are both Republicans running for the County Commission District 2 seat.

Under Nevada law, anyone conducting a persuasive poll must identify the person or entity requesting or paying for the poll.

The law does not affect polls conducted to measure the public's opinion about or reaction to an issue, fact or theme.

Brady asked that the polls be investigated and the results of the investigation be forwarded to the Secretary of State's office.

Brady's opponent, Lloyd Higuera said he opposed using the telephone for campaigning.

"I'm totally opposed to push polling," Higuera said. "It has no place in campaigning. "The part that's frustrating is the rumors that start. It doesn't really serve either campaign well. I don't know who's responsible for this, I just want to stick to my campaign style.

Higuera noted that any kind of polling is expensive.

"It would be prohibitive for a local candidate," he said.

In her letter forwarding the complaint to the state, Griffin said Valley resident Jim Slade confirmed that a pollster who made disparaging comments about Brady contacted him.

Griffin contacted Jim Cherry of Cherry Communications who confirmed a poll was being conducted in Douglas County by Data Targeting Inc.

Douglas County District Attorney's Investigator Steve Schultz reported talking to Pat Bainter of Data Targeting, who denied that any candidate in Douglas County is paying for a poll, though he would not say who was conducting the poll.

In a written statement, Bainter said his company only uses established methods of scientific sampling when polling. Samples range from 150 to 800 interviews.

"The intent of survey research is to measure public opinion by interviewing a small sample of a total population whereas the intent of push polling is to move public opinion by canvassing entire populations," Bainter said. "Unfortunately, the legitimate opinion research industry is plagued by the latter."

n Kurt Hildebrand can be reached at khildebrand@recordcourier.com or 782-5121, ext. 215.