KIVI-TV Channel 6 has sponsored a new poll, conducted by Greg Smith & Associates, of Idahoans’ views on Sen. Larry Craig, and it showed that only one in five respondents want Craig to stay in office. Smith, a former regional director for Craig who now runs a polling and consulting firm in Eagle, said, “Idahoans certainly admire his desire to restore his image and reputation. However, they are also telling us that, even with these legal options being pursued, it is nonetheless time for him to go.”

The poll found that 51 percent opposed Craig’s decision to stay in office rather than resign, 21 percent backed it, and the rest were either undecided or unaware of the situation. One note about this poll, however: Its sample size was only 300, which is low for a statewide poll. When my newspaper has sponsored polls in Idaho, we’ve typically had a sample size of at least 400, and often 800 or more. The larger sample makes the polling more statistically reliable. We haven’t sponsored any polls on this issue, however. Smith estimated that his poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 5.6 percent.

Anyone who’s been reading letters to the editor pages in Idaho might have expected a much larger number wanting Craig to quit… And as far as the 6 percent the poll found unaware of the situation, wow! How do they do that? Is it possible to completely avoid hearing about this?

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