Bluegrass Polls reflect views of Kentuckians

Ky. voters split on fate of county clerks 
who refuse to issue same-sex marriage licenses

A majority of Kentucky voters disagrees with the U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage, although voters are evenly split over the fate of county clerks who refuse to issue marriage licenses because of religious objections to the landmark ruling. In the latest Bluegrass Poll, 38 percent said county clerks who refuse to issue marriage licenses should be removed from office, 36 percent said clerks should be allowed to refuse, and 16 percent said the power to issue marriage licenses should be transferred to a state agency. An additional 9 percent weren't sure.

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Democrats hold slight edge in 4 out of 5 
down-ticket races for statewide office
Democrats have at least a slight edge in all but one of Kentucky's down-ticket races for statewide office, but plenty of likely voters say they remain undecided, according to a new Bluegrass Poll. The poll's biggest lead was held by Andy Beshear, the Democratic nominee for attorney general and son of outgoing Gov. Steve Beshear. It showed him seven points ahead of his Republican opponent, state Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Whitney Westerfield of Hopkinsville. But nearly a quarter of likely voters said they were undecided between Beshear and Westerfield. The only Republican with an advantage was state Rep. Ryan Quarles of Georgetown, running for the agriculture commissioner's post being vacated by another Republican, James Comer.

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Poll: Rand Paul vs. Hillary Clinton still close
As he hustles for support in early voting states for the Republican presidential nomination, Sen. Rand Paul stands only about even in his home state in a hypothetical general election against Democratic favorite Hillary Clinton, according to the latest Bluegrass Poll. Paul won the backing of 44 percent of 863 registered voters surveyed, with 42 percent supporting Clinton. The remaining 14 percent were undecided. Paul's slight edge is within the poll's margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

For the full story, visit The Courier-Journal online.

Bluegrass Poll: More than half approve 
of Gov. Steve Beshear's job performance
Term-limited Gov. Steve Beshear maintains a positive approval rating as he concludes his eighth year in office, according to the latest Bluegrass Poll. The Democrat, whose son Andy is running for attorney general, has a 51 percent approval rating in the poll of 863 registered voters. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points. The survey was conducted July 22-28 by SurveyUSA on behalf of the Herald-Leader and WKYT-TV in Lexington and The Courier-Journal and WHAS-TV in Louisville.

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Bluegrass Poll: Conway holds slim edge 
over Bevin in toss-up race for Ky. governor
Despite a summer of social change and subsequent conservative backlash, Attorney General Jack Conway holds a slim advantage over Republican Matt Bevin in this year's race for Kentucky governor, according to a new Bluegrass Poll. Conway, the Democratic nominee, leads Bevin 45 percent to 42 percent, with 13 percent of voters undecided. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points, which means the two candidates are locked in a toss-up race with large numbers of voters up for grabs just before Saturday's Fancy Farm picnic, the annual event in Western Kentucky that serves as the unofficial kick-off for the fall campaigns.

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