Poll has Ducey, DuVal with 40 percent each

The poll, by Rasmussen Reports, puts the race to be the state’s next governor in a dead heat after surveying 850 likely Arizona voters in the days following the six-way Republican primary for governor.

The automated poll has a margin of error of 3 percentage points, according to Pulse Opinion Research, which did the polling for Rassmussen.

The two campaigns treated the news differently, with the DuVal camp saying it is the second consecutive poll showing the Democrat tied with his Republican rival in a state with more registered Republicans than Democrats.

Independents — registered with neither party — make up the largest group in the state, with a slight registration advantage over Republicans.

The Ducey camp brushed aside the polling results, saying it is the first of many polls that will be released before Election Day.

Geoff Vetter, the press secretary for the DuVal campaign, said voters will back the former Arizona Board of Regents chair for his education plan that will stop the cuts to schools by the Republican-controlled Legislature.

“This poll is encouraging, but this race isn’t going to be about polls. This race is going to be about education, and voters will have a clear choice,” Vetter said.

Melissa DeLaney, the communications director for the Ducey campaign, said the new poll is only the first of many that voters will hear about in the next nine weeks.

“There will be a lot of polls between now and Election Day, and we are confident Doug’s message of greater opportunity for all Arizonans will resonate with voters across the state,” DeLaney said.

Republicans have been previously critical of the Rasmussen reports, arguing that their survey methodologies favor Democratic candidates.

A poll released on election night had Ducey and DuVal in a tie with 35 percent of the vote, but Republicans point out that the poll was paid for by the Democratic Governors Association.