As in too long, too negative and too dull. That’s the finding of a new Pew Center poll that measured voters’ attitudes toward the presidential race compared with a survey Pew performed in February. Looks like the campaign is tanking fast:
Half of those surveyed say the campaign has become too negative, up from 28 percent who said so in mid-February. The increase has been especially rapid among Democrats — 50 percent say it’s too negative, while only 19 percent thought so in February.
The contest between Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton turned especially heated in the weeks before Tuesday’s primary in Pennsylvania, which Clinton won. She criticized Obama for saying small-town residents who are bitter about their economic hardships cling to guns and religion, while Obama accused her of being too close to special interests.
Even so, Democrats have been turning out in record numbers to vote in the primaries.
Despite that, 65 percent said the campaign has gone on too long, up from 57 percent in February.
Thirty-five percent think it is too dull, compared to 25 percent two months ago. About four in 10 Republicans find the campaign boring, compared to a quarter of Democrats.
