WHAT'S MISSING?

By Jennifer Hicks

I got this poll info sent to me in an email from the Herbster campaign. I find it odd that the poll doesn't even show the names of candidates for governor Michael Connely and Breland Ridenour.

It isn't as if the Herbster campaign isn't aware that Connely and Ridenour are candidates, as they have all shared a stage together at the gubernatorial candidate forum hosted by the Farm Bureau. (They did NOT share a debate stage together at the Cass County gubernatorial debate, however, as Herbster failed to attend that one.)

But here's where things get tricky for me when it comes to interpreting this poll. If 53% of those polled would vote for Herbster right now, and 18% of those polled would vote for either Pillen, Thibodeau, or Lindstrom, then where are the unreported results for the remaining 29% of those polled? Did the poll include other options (such as "Michael Connely," "Breland Ridenour," or "Undecided," which did not make it on to this graphic?

So my question is this, am I just reading these poll results wrong (which I am willing to admit is entirely possible), or is the Herbster campaign engaging in a bit of manipulation in how they are reporting the results of their poll? What we do know for a fact is that the Herbster campaign is well aware of candidates Connely and Ridenour, and yet clearly made the decision not to include their names in this reporting. But perhaps their names were included in the poll that was presented to people--and perhaps that is why the results of 29% of those polled seems to be missing from this report.

What do you think?