A poll released Wednesday shows a
majority of Iowans would retain Iowa Supreme Court Justice David
Wiggins.
Fifty-three percent of respondents to
the Hawkeye Poll conducted by researchers at the University of Iowa
said they want to retain Wiggins, while 30 percent said they would
vote to remove Wiggins.
While earlier polls showed the effort
to oust Wiggins failing, the 23 point lead is the largest yet.
Conservatives angry at the state
Supreme Court's unanimous 2009 ruling which brought gay marriage to
the Midwest have targeted Wiggins for ouster. In 2010, voters axed
three judges from the bench. The remaining three justices are up for
retention votes in 2016.
The effort to oust Wiggins is
spearheaded by conservative Bob Vander Plaats, the president of the
FAMiLY LEADER. The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) is also
involved. According to the Des Moines Register, the two
groups have spent about $250,000 on the race.
Groups supporting Wiggins' retention
have spent about $150,000.
The Hawkeye Poll also found a
large number (17%) of respondents remain undecided.
“People will say they don't know
because they don't want to give you an answer,” Fred Boehmke, an
associate political science professor at the University of Iowa, told
the Iowa
City Press-Citizen. “I would think there's a good chance
don't knows will either not vote in this particular race or probably
a majority are going to go against [Wiggins' retention].”