Abraham- Stabenow race picks up tempo

By Jeremy W. Peters

Daily Staff Reporter

Polling in recent weeks has shown Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Spence Abraham with a notable edge on challenger Debbie Stabenow - a fact that has intensified campaigning on both sides.

Although some polls have put Stabenow - a U.S. Representative from Lansing - either slightly behind or even with Abraham, most independent polling in recent weeks give the senator a notable edge.

"One thing I know is true is that we're ahead in this race," Abraham spokesman Trent Wisecup said. "If you look at credible independent surveys then you'll see that Abraham is ahead in all of them. It's fair to say that Sen. Abraham has consistently been ahead by 10 points in recent polls."

The Stabenow campaign isn't publicly expressing much concern about the recent numbers.

"There's also a poll out there that shows the race at two points. That's where we think the race is," said Stabenow press secretary Kerin Polla in reference to a Democratic National Committee poll released last week in which Stabenow has 42 percent of the vote to Abraham's 44.

"Abraham still has the lead," said political science prof. Christopher Achen, adding that the senator is not yet in the clear.

"From his point of view the worrisome fact of the race is that he hasn't been able to break above the 50 percent mark. And when incumbents don't break 50 this late they're in trouble."

A tell-tale sign of a competitive race is a bitter ad campaign - something the Abraham-Stabenow race is not lacking.

Allegations from both sides claiming distortion of facts are common.

Abraham officials recently objected to a Michigan Democratic Party ad that features a mother explaining how she spent the last days of her teenage daughter's life battling with an HMO despite her repeated pleas to Abraham's office for intervention.

Citing $213,000 in contributions from the insurance industry, the woman adds, "If I were from a big company that could make a large donation, he probably would have returned my call."

After repeated criticism from Abraham's campaign, the Democrats changed the wording of the ad.

"It was blatantly false and negative. They were forced to change it," Wisecup said.

"The change was a change of one word," Polla said. "It changed the word 'company' to 'industry.' It didn't change the fact that he's taken $213, 000 from insurance."

Stabenow campaign officials claim Abraham misrepresents her record on education in a radio ad that accuses the representative of opposing expanded funding for Pell Grants.

"He's talking about one budget vote, not her record of being in Congress," Polla said. "The reason she voted against the bill was because it would've raided Social Security. When it comes to college loans, Debbie Stabenow has taken a leading role."

Still, Wisecup maintains that had the budget bill been defeated, college students would have been left "holding the bag."

The reason for the ads, the Abraham camp said, is directly linked to their lead in the polls.

"The reason they are running such negative ads is because they're so far behind," Wisecup said.

Not so, Pollo said.

"I think the polls show the race is narrowing. It will be close to the finish," he said.

The gap in the polls, Achen said, will inevitably close as November approaches.

"My expectation is it will tighten towards the end," he said.

The two sides have still not resolved their conflict over when, where and how many times the candidates will debate.

"They've been dragging their feet for a long time. I think she wants to spin it that the senator doesn't want to debate her. That's just not true," Wisecup said.

Polla insists the matter boils down to how many people will be able to watch the debates on television.

"The debate at the Economic Club of Detroit they're proposing ... you have to pay $25 to get in and it happens at lunch time."