McFerron-released survey finds Echols ahead as Republicans enter final days of attorney general race
OKLAHOMA CITY — A poll conducted for the GOP primary for attorney general shows former House Majority Floor Leader Jon Echols holding a 10-point lead over attorney Jeff Starling in the final days of Oklahoma’s attorney general primary.
The survey, conducted June 9-11 by Oklahoma City-based Cole Hargrave Snodgrass & Associates, found Echols with 39% support among likely Republican primary voters compared with 29% for Starling. Another 32% of respondents said they remained undecided.
Viewed another way, the poll shows Echols with 57% support from those who have decided how they will vote in the primary.
The poll surveyed 500 likely Republican primary voters and reported a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.
According to a polling memo released Friday by pollster Pat McFerron, Echols’ support was strongest among self-identified conservatives, voters who consider themselves “Trump Republicans” and frequent Republican primary voters.
The survey also measured voter perceptions of the two candidates.
Echols received a 26% favorable rating and a 28% unfavorable rating, while 46% of respondents either had no opinion of him or said they had never heard of him. Starling received an 11% favorable rating and a 27% unfavorable rating, while 62% either had no opinion of him or had never heard of him.
The survey found former President Donald Trump maintains a 76% favorable rating among Oklahoma Republican primary voters, including 58% who described their view of Trump as strongly favorable.
In the memo, McFerron wrote that Echols had maintained his lead despite what he described as millions of dollars in negative advertising during the campaign’s closing weeks. McFerron also pointed to endorsements from organizations including the National Rifle Association and CPAC, along with support from sheriffs, district attorneys and state lawmakers, as factors helping bolster Echols’ standing with Republican voters.
The results come as outside organizations and allied groups have poured millions of dollars into advertising and voter outreach efforts in the race’s closing weeks.
The Republican nominee will advance to the general election to succeed Attorney General Gentner Drummond, who is term-limited and running for governor.
