New Poll Shows Close Race In Damoign House Contest

Minor Party Candidates Creating Splits Within Parties

GRASSADELLA CITY, DMG--A new poll shows Damoign's house race could be one of the closest races of the election season.

The poll, conducted in partnership by Deedrick University and The Grassadella City Times, shows NAT Congresswoman Jean Chaveau of Vicksburg leading, with 29%. CNS challenger Rep. Roman Chatskovy of Grassadella City trails Chaveau with 22%. He is followed closely by former NAT-turned-Liberal Democrat Jack Schlessinger, who has 21%. Next is Democratic-Reformist Diane Rosselli with 15%, and finally, independent Helen Parnamy comes in with just 7%. Another 6% favor other candidates.

Not included in the poll was former Traditionalist candidate Austin Keller of Olean, who dropped out last month due to a lack of funds.

The poll shows the race this fall will likely be one of the closest of the season, says Deedrick University politics professor Dan Roberts.

"It looks as if it's going to be a run to the finish line here," Roberts said. He also explained that the number of candidates makes the race more complex. 

"Part of the reason this race is so close is because there are five major candidates. Normally, there are only two candidates--a nationalist and a conservative--sometimes a third like a democratic-reformist...but it's unusual to have five candidates," he said.

The contentious race is causing the candidates to resort to bitter attacks. Just yesterday, front-runner Chaveau attacked her main competitor Roman Chatskovy for voting to cut social security benefits for millions of Damoignites. 

"These are scary economic times. The last thing we need is someone taking away the only financial security we depend on," Chaveau told a crowd of seniors in East Grassadella City.

Chatskovy countered the particular bill, which he voted against, was too big and would have spent too much of the tax-payers' money.

"The nationalists in Congress have spent more of our tax-payer money than ever before in history. People like Congresswoman Chaveau are more than willing to spend money, but when you ask them how they're going to pay for it, they don't have an answer," Chatskovy said at a town hall meeting on Grassadella City's southwest side.

The bitter partisan attacks have given Chaveau and Chatskovy's other rivals heavy ammunition.

"Look at what's happening between Congresswoman Chaveau and Roman Chatskovy," D-R candidate Diane Rosselli told a group of women in Arnellson. "They're so focused on attacking each other, they've lost the focus of what this election is about--the people."

The rhetoric flying from all sides in the campaign is a sign of things to come, Roberts says.

"It will only get worse. Until the election is over, it's going to be this bad and then some."