Political Eye: Poll takes Nevadans’ pulse on aliens, Obama

It's good to know some pollsters have a sense of humor.

Or maybe a burning desire to delve deeply into the curious minds of Nevadans.

For instance, did you know that 23 percent of Nevada voters believe in UFOs? (You know who You are. And you know where They are. Hint: Area 51.)

Of course, 56 percent of Nevada voters do not believe in funny little green men or ET-like creatures who just want to go home, according to Public Policy Polling.

And, yes, as with anything, there is an ideological divide on the issue.

"Very liberal" voters are more likely to believe in UFOs (32 percent) than "very conservative" voters (14 percent), according to pollster Tom Jensen, who decided to ask a few oddball questions.

The survey from the well-respected group was scientific. The automated telephone poll questioned 500 Nevada voters June 7-10. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.

The pollsters also asked some serious questions about, you know, the high-stakes presidential and U.S. Senate races in Nevada. But those contests are near-dead-heat affairs at this point and Election Day is so far out that anything could happen - say a game-changing UFO landing here.

Here are some other tidbits from the poll:

■ Former U.S. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., who was felled by a sexual affair and ethics investigation, is back at work as a veterinarian. And he's apparently pretty popular with the pets.

He left office with an upside down approval rating - 29 percent approval to 55 percent disapproval. But 54 percent of Nevada pet owners say they would trust Ensign with their pets compared to 29 percent who would not. "We've had a lot of bad news for John Ensign over the years so here's a change of pace," the pollster said. "It's clear voters like him a lot more as a vet than they did as a senator."

■ Sands Corp. CEO Sheldon Adelson and his family have been pouring tons of money into the White House race. First the Adelson family members gave more than $20 million to a political action committee supporting Newt Gingrich's failed GOP presidential campaign. Then last week, Adelson sent a $10 million check to a PAC backing Mitt Romney, the presumed GOP presidential nominee. Yet, Adelson is a bit of a cipher. Some 56 percent of Nevada voters don't know enough about him to have an opinion. Among those who know about him, 17 percent rate him positively and 27 percent negatively. Democrats don't like him (10/41), while Republicans like him a bit more (22/16).

■ When it comes to prostitution, Nevada Democrats and Republicans agree with 66 percent of each group saying brothels should be legal, which they are in most counties outside Las Vegas and Reno. Only 23 percent of Nevadans overall believe prostitution should be illegal.

■ In the Reno versus Las Vegas popularity contest, the Biggest Little City wins. Some 58 percent of Nevada voters have a favorable view of Reno compared to 13 percent with a negative one. Las Vegas has a positive image with 53 percent of voters and 26 percent have an unfavorable view. Republicans made the difference: GOP voters gave Reno a 65/7 positive/negative rating and Las Vegas 52/27.

The pollster asked some political questions, too.

■ Nevada Legislature: Democrats lead the generic legislative ballot 43-39 with Nevada voters, which could be a good sign for Democrats trying to maintain their slim 11-10 control of the state Senate. The Democrats hold a slight 32-30 advantage with independents. Democrats are all but certain to keep control of the Assembly.

■ White House: President Barack Obama leads GOP presidential challenger Mitt Romney 48 percent to 42 percent. Nevada is considered a battleground state with the 2012 winner likely to occupy the Oval Office next year. Obama won the Silver State by 12 points four years ago when he was much more popular.

Obama's popularity here remains fairly good, with a 49-47 approval rating. Romney's approval rating is 41-53, meaning he's upside down and needs to improve to have a chance to win in November.

Obama is most popular with women, 52-39, but he trails Romney with men, 43-46.

Romney's chances in Nevada would improve slightly if he chose Gov. Brian Sandoval as his vice presidential running mate, a highly unlikely prospect. With Sandoval on the GOP ticket, Obama's lead in Nevada would fall to 47-44 over Romney, which is within the poll's margin of error.

■ Senate: U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., edges out U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., 44-43, which means the race remains in a dead heat. It's expected to be one of the closest 2012 contests in the nation.

Heller holds a 45-38 advantage among independent voters.

Heller is drawing 18 percent support from crossover Democrats, while 16 percent of Republicans say they could vote for Berkley.

Among Hispanics, Berkley holds a 49-40 lead. Among blacks, her lead is 57-23.

The poll does not break out how Berkley is doing outside her Clark County base, nor how Heller is doing in Southern Nevada, nor how the candidates are faring in the Washoe County battleground.

At the same time, the survey suggests a troublesome trend for Heller: His approval numbers have dropped since he was appointed to the Senate in May 2011.

At that time, his rating was 46 percent approval and 23 percent disapproval. Now he's in the red: 36 percent of voters approve of his performance and 39 percent disapprove.

Berkley's favorables have improved over that time, from 33 percent to 38 percent. And her unfavorable rating has improved, from 40 percent to 37 percent now.

■ Economy: Some 41 percent of Nevada voters think the economy has gotten worse since Obama took office in 2009 compared to 37 percent who think it's gotten better. The state unemployment rate has fallen to a three-year low of 11.6 percent, but remains the highest in the nation.

■ Obamacare: Some 36 percent of voters think the U.S. Supreme Court should rule the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional, while 34 percent think it should be upheld. Another 30 percent don't have an opinion.

- Laura Myers

SENATE RACE IS ON

Even though they have been going at it for months, completion of the Nevada primary elections last Tuesday signaled a sudden escalation in the battle between Republican U.S. Sen. Dean Heller and his Democratic challenger, Shelley Berkley.

Within hours after the two became their parties' official candidates, national surrogates unleashed television attack ads, which are unlikely to let up before November. The Heller-Berkley race is expected to go down to the wire and could determine which party controls the U.S. Senate next year.

Additionally, by the end of last week, Berkley, a congresswoman, had another two commercials in rotation while Heller was about to unveil his first.

■ The Patriot Majority PAC, a Democratic group whose president once worked for Sen. Harry Reid, began running a 30-second commercial in Reno blasting Heller's support for highly controversial reforms to Medicare that would increase expenses for some retirees even as it aims to shore up the program's shaky finances. See it at http://ow.ly/bCfmB

■ It was only a matter of time before Republicans brought up ethics allegations hanging over Berkley. American Crossroads, founded by top GOP strategist Karl Rove, went up with an ad reminding viewers Berkley is being scrutinized on allegations she used her official position to lobby colleagues and federal officials on matters that benefited her husband, prominent Las Vegas nephrologist Dr. Larry Lehrner. See it at: http://ow.ly/bCfgo

Berkley's campaign produced a rebuttal, a sign it views the allegations as potentially damaging and must be answered at every turn. That is at http://ow.ly/bCfxG

With outside groups taking the low road, Berkley and Heller took the high road with positive spots to kick off the general election.

■ A Berkley commercial touted her support for renewable energy projects - and jobs that could come along with it. See it at http://ow.ly/bCfEC

■ Heller launched his first television ad, a folksy commercial that advertises his support for populist "no budget, no pay" legislation, and makes clear he is running as an outsider even though he's been a federal officeholder since 2007. It's at http://ow.ly/bCfLl

The Heller bill, which says members of Congress will be denied their paychecks if they don't pass a federal budget or spending bills on schedule, has gotten mixed reviews from experts and only scattered support on Capitol Hill. But it has tested well as an easily understandable concept that reflects the public's frustration with gridlock in Washington.

- Steve Tetreault

Contact Laura Myers at lmyers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2919. Follow @lmyerslvrj on Twitter. Contact Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@stephensmedia.com or 202-783-1760. Follow him on Twitter @STetreaultDC.