NASHVILLE — A new independent poll on the Tennessee governor’s race shows Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam leading U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp by 11 percent in the Aug. 5 primary.
But the race remains volatile, with the largest percentage of those surveyed — 36 percent — remaining undecided.
Thirty-two percent of the 603 respondents to the WSMV-TV poll said they intend to support Mr. Haslam, with 21 percent indicating they will vote for Rep. Wamp, a Chattanoogan. Eleven percent said they back Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, the Senate speaker.
The poll’s margin of error was plus or minus 4 percent. It was conducted by Des Moines, Iowa-based Crawford Johnson & Northcott, a market research firm.
The survey also showed respondents favoring Mr. Haslam over Democrat Mike McWherter in a general election matchup by 60 percent to 34 percent.
Rep. Wamp led Mr. McWherter, a Jackson, Tenn., businessman, by 59 to 35 percent.
It was a much narrower contest for Lt. Gov. Ramsey. Fifty-one percent said they backed Mr. Ramsey while 40 percent said they supported Mr. McWherter.
Both the Wamp and Haslam campaigns touted the survey’s findings. In Mr. Haslam’s news release, the campaign said it showed Mr. Haslam with a “commanding lead” over the congressman just days before the start of early voting a week from today.
“The only poll that matters is on Election Day, but this independent poll fundamentally confirms the Haslam campaign’s own numbers, showing Haslam as the man on the move while both of his primary opponents have been flat from the beginning,” the Haslam campaign said.
But Wamp spokesman Sam Edelen said, “Zach’s got the vision. He’s got the momentum. And this is now his race to win.”
“The bad news for Bill Haslam is that the people of Tennessee aren’t buying what he’s selling,” Mr. Edelen said. “Despite spending over $10 million on TV, radio and mail pretending to be something he’s not, voters clearly know the difference between a real conservative leader like Zach and a guy who plays one on television.”