|
December 1976
The
first New Hampshire Poll was conducted in December 1976.
Mel Thomson was governor, Thomas
McIntyre and John Durkin were US Senators, Norm D'Amours and
Jim Cleveland were members of
Congress, and Jimmy Carter would become the 39th president
in January 1977.
Voters told us that
the most important issue facing the state was high property
taxes, 62% favored the construction
of the Seabrook nuclear power plant, 46% of voters said that
Mel Thomson was doing an excellent
or good job as governor and 52% said Thomson was doing a fair
or poor job, and Thomas McIntyre
was leading Mel Thomson 56% to 28% in a hypothetical match-up
for US Senate (Gordon Humphrey, the winner over McIntyre in
1978,
was still a politically-unknown airline pilot). There was solid opposition to a
state income tax, a state sales tax, and state-run gambling in New Hampshire.
Question wording:
Do you favor
or oppose a state sales tax?
| December 1976 |
Favor |
Oppose |
Undecided |
|
| All voters |
19% |
77% |
4% |
|
| Republicans |
15% |
83% |
2% |
| Democrats |
21% |
73% |
6% |
| Independents |
20% |
77% |
3% |
Do you favor or oppose a state
income tax?
| December 1976 |
Favor |
Oppose |
Undecided |
|
| All voters |
20% |
69% |
11% |
|
| Republicans |
19% |
70% |
11% |
| Democrats |
24% |
61% |
15% |
| Independents |
19% |
71% |
10% |
Do you favor or oppose the legalization
of state-run gambling in New Hampshire?
| December 1976 |
Favor |
Oppose |
Undecided |
|
| All voters |
35% |
58% |
7% |
|
| Republicans |
27% |
68% |
5% |
| Democrats |
34% |
61% |
5% |
| Independents |
39% |
52% |
9% |
And
of 13 names being mentioned in 1976 as possible candidates for higher
office in 1978, none hold elective office in
New Hampshire today (Lou D'Allessandro did not run for
re-election to the New Hampshire State Senate in 2024). Bob Smith, Judd
Gregg, Charlie Bass, and members of the Sununu family were not included
as potential candidates.
| Names tested: |
|
| Clesson Blaisdell |
| James Connor |
| Louis D'Allessandro |
| Dudley Dudley |
| Alf Jacobson |
| Malcolm McLane |
| James Masiello |
| George Roberts |
| Warren Rudman |
| Bernard Streeter |
| Rob Trowbridge |
| Frank Whaland |
| Alan Rock |
|
