INDReporter

UNO poll has Edwards leading by 22 points Jindal’s disapproval rating rises to 70 percent.

Jindal’s disapproval rating rises to 70 percent.

While some recent polling shows the gap between state Democratic Rep. John Bel Edwards and Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter tightening a week before the Nov. 21 runoff for Louisiana governor, a University of New Orleans poll taken Nov. 2-8 has Edwards up by his largest margin to date, 22 percent.

Donations have been piling up for Edwards since the Oct. 24 primary, which he led with 40 percent of the vote. Edwards' campaign says since the primary, it has received $4.5 million in contributions. Edwards took in $175,000 at a Lafayette fundraiser held Nov. 6 at the Petroleum Club; the bi-partisan event was organized by former supporters of Republican Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle, who ran third in the four-man field. Republican Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, who finished fourth, has since endorsed Edwards.

Vitter's campaign reports that the U.S. senator has raised $2.6 million since his second-place finish.

The UNO team says telephone numbers were selected at random from a sample frame of likely voters, defined as someone who has voted at least three times in the last five statewide elections.

The combined landline and cell phone sample matches the gender, age, and race parameters from the voter file obtained from the Louisiana Secretary of State. The margin of error is 4 percent at a 95 percent level of confidence.

Most significant among the poll’s findings:

• Two-thirds of likely voters say Louisiana is headed in the wrong direction.

• Nearly one-half of respondents report that the state’s economy has worsened over the past year.

• Gov. Bobby Jindal has a 70 percent disapproval rating.

• Edwards enjoys a 22 point lead over Vitter among likely voters.

• One-fourth of Republicans say they are going to vote for the Democratic candidate, Edwards.

• Nearly one-third of conservatives say they are going to vote for Edwards.

• Nearly one-half of voters who cast a ballot for Scott Angelle or Jay Dardenne plan on voting for Edwards.

• Three-fourths of voters who strongly disapprove of Bobby Jindal support Edwards in the runoff.

• Billy Nungesser has a 10-point lead over Kip Holden in the Lieutenant Governor’s race

Read the full poll report here.