Unknowns far outnumber knowns about Kelly Ayotte's political future (though one might assume that Ray Buckley doesn't try to drop the Sarah Palin simile on just anybody). But at the outset, it's worthy of note what she brings to the table that no other GOP Senate contender does right now.
All numbers from the latest Granite State Poll, conducted by my colleague Andrew Smith at the UNH Survey Center:
Net favorability (voters with favorable opinion - voters with unfavorable opinion) among men
Ayotte + 40 (48 percent favorable - 8 percent unfavorable)
Gregg + 39 (60 percent favorable / 21 percent unfavorable)
Bass + 17 (38 percent favorable / 21 percent unfavorable)
Sununu + 14 (49 percent favorable / 35 percent unfavorable)
Lamontagne + 3 (9 percent favorable / 6 percent unfavorable)
Tausch + 0 (6 percent favorable / 6 percent unfavorable)
Not too bad for a newcomer to be sitting in Judd Gregg territory in her first poll. Here's the kicker, though:
Net favorability among women
Ayotte + 36 (43 percent favorable / 7 percent unfavorable)
Gregg + 20 (47 percent favorable / 27 percent unfavorable)
Lamontagne + 5 (11 percent favorable / 6 percent unfavorable)
Bass + 3 (28 percent favorable / 25 percent unfavorable)
Tausch + 2 (4 percent favorable / 2 percent unfavorable)
Sununu - 3 (37 percent favorable / 40 percent unfavorable)
And finally, a measure of gender difference:
Net favorability among men - net favorability among women
Gregg 19
Sununu 17
Bass 14
Ayotte 4
Lamontagne -2
Tausch -2
Again, all sorts of caveats: Yes, it's early. Yes, voters know little about her stances on the issues, etc. Yes, lots of voters probably are responding favorably to the "attorney general" title.
Nonetheless, when was the last time a GOP candidate, potential or actual, showed this type of crossover potential?
