A new internal poll released by Democrat Destiny Wells 's campaign puts her nearly neck-and-neck with Republican Attorney General Todd Rokita in what's become the marquee race of Indiana's 2024 general election.
Asked point-blank whom they would choose for Indiana if the election were held today, 41% of the 600 respondents to the survey ― conducted by progressive national pollster Lake Research Partners ― chose Wells and 44% chose Rokita.
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Those numbers climb to 50-42, in Wells' favor, when respondents are presented with positive statements about Wells' record and negative statements about Rokita's.
That shift is buoyed by a finding that surprised the pollsters: About half surveyed said they either hadn't heard of Rokita ― a Hoosier elected official of 25 years ― or had no impression of him.
But Wells has a far steeper name-recognition challenge: In this survey, 86% of respondents had not heard of her.
Wells told reporters yesterday that her path forward requires getting her message out.
"The energy is great, but what do we do with this energy?" Wells said.
Rokita's campaign coffers far outpace Wells': He ended the second quarter with $1.3 million in the bank, compared to her $100,000.
Brent Littlefield, Rokita's campaign consultant, expressed skepticism about the poll, saying "they're trying to convince the donors that it's worth an investment" in the campaign.
"The only thing shocking about Democrats claiming they have an anti-Rokita poll is how long it took to hit the panic button over Destiny Wells' failed, radical-left campaign," Littlefield said. "Rinse, repeat, from 2022."
Lake Research Partners, a D.C.-based pollster whose clientele includes President Joe Biden, called Hoosiers from Indiana voter rolls between Aug. 24 and Sept. 2. The voters were 51% Republican, 36% Democrat and 7% independent. The results from this sample have a margin of error of plus or minus 4%.
The poll also shows a competitive Indiana governor's race. Asked who they would choose if the election were held today, 41% of respondents said Republican Mike Braun and 39% chose Democrat Jennifer McCormick. Nine percent said they would vote for Libertarian Donald Rainwater and 11% were undecided.
While the University of Virginia's Center for Politics still considers this race "safe Republican," the race between Wells and Rokita is the only attorney general race in the country that has prompted the center to adjust their rating of the race from "safe Republican" to "leans Republican."
Wells rose to prominence in an unusually high-profile secretary of state race in 2022, in which she lost to Diego Morales . This year, she defeated Beth White at the Democratic state convention to earn the party's nomination for attorney general.
Wells is the Indiana Democratic Party's deputy chair for coalition and expansion and a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserves. She previously served as associate corporation counsel for the city of Indianapolis.
Rokita, meanwhile, is pursuing a second term in the AG's office. The Republican has been at the center of controversial issues, often earning national spotlight and media attention, particularly regarding Indiana's near-total abortion ban.
After IndyStar reported on a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio who sought an abortion in Indiana, Rokita went on national television to say his office would investigate Dr. Caitlin Bernard, who shared the anecdote. More than a year of legal battles resulted in reprimands for both Rokita and Bernard .
Political experts expressed some skepticism about the poll. Chad Kinsella, an associate professor of political science at Ball State University, said the conventional wisdom is that "this is not going to be a competitive race."
"You have to take it with a grain of salt if it's a candidate poll," Kinsella said. "One poll does not necessarily mean that this is how things are; it's an interesting data point for consideration. I'd need to see more."
But Kinsella said it was still smart of Wells to release it.
"Indiana is a very tough place right now for Democrats," Kinsella said. "To have any poll that suggests there is a ray of light, they need that. Anything helps."
Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Kayla Dwyer at kdwyer@indystar.com or follow her on Twitter @kayla_dwyer17 . Hayleigh Colombo is the senior government accountability reporter at IndyStar. She can be reached at hcolombo@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: DC pollster finds close Indiana attorney general race between Todd Rokita and Destiny Wells
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