'Push poll' backfires on group promoting Mike Lee

SALT LAKE CITY — On the eve of Tuesday's political caucuses, a conservative group is conducting a push poll — a telemarketing device condemned as unethical by professional pollsters — to convince voters that Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, is worse on health care, abortion and gay issues than one of his opponents, Mike Lee.

Lee's campaign, however, is condemning that poll funded by Common Sense Issues PAC and says it was being done without Lee's consent or knowledge. The campaign adds that the push poll is doing more harm than good because many Lee supporters are upset about the negative tone and because they received the calls on a Sunday.

"This was done 100 percent independent of the campaign, and we would have had issues both with the day that it was done and the content of the phone call," said Ryan McCoy, Lee's campaign manager.

"We don't know who Common Sense PAC is," McCoy said, adding that Lee never sought its endorsement or help. The PAC's Web site describes the group as pro-life and lists Lee as among many conservatives it endorses nationally because he "spent his life working to defend our Constitution."

McCoy noted that as a political action committee, that group "can do what it wants, and it's not always beneficial to the campaigns they are trying to help. I would say it's a net loss for us in terms of the feedback we've gotten from people."

In an automated call received Sunday by a Deseret News reporter, the recording initially purported to be from a polling company and did not say it was funded by the PAC until the end.

It asked if the respondent supports or opposes "Obamacare." It then asked if the respondent would be more likely to support Lee if he knew that Lee was stronger in his opposition to Democratic health care reform than Bennett. The call did not mention that Bennett voted against that legislation.

The call also asked if the voter favors federal funding for abortions. It then purported that a health care bill that Bennett introduced would provide federal funding for abortions, but Lee opposes such actions, and asked if that would make a difference to the respondent.

The call also asked that if the respondent knew that Bennett supports federal "health care for homosexuals," if that would make it less likely for Bennett to receive the respondent's support.

At the end of the call, the recording said it was funded by Common Sense PAC and was independent of any candidate's campaign.