February 4, 2025 • 10 mins
Mike McDonnell Releases Internal Polling Showing a Close Mayoral Race
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
There's a race for the mayor of Omaha. Did you
hear this?
Speaker 2 (00:02):
You hear that Gene Stothard is being challenged Mike McDonald,
who we've had on the show in the last couple
of months. He is running and his campaign has released
internal polling to news channel k e TV.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Here in town.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
They reported that today and again, how do you how
do you feel about candidates or campaigns doing their own
internal polling and then running to the running to the
masses to shout from the rooftops at what they have found.
Seems like it could be a conflict of interest. It
just seems like I'm not sure how much we can
trust such things. Well, we talk about not trusting polling
(00:40):
in general, and for good reason. I think it's important
to have polls so we can see how accurate they
are after the race and to see how things are going.
But I still think that, you know, what are we doing.
We're tricking ourselves into thinking that this is some sort
of like oh yeah, this is actually how it's what's happening.
That's not what's happening. That doesn't mean that's what's happening.
(01:00):
That Iowa poll right before the election, remember the Iowa
poll that showed Donald Trump losing to Kamala Harris right
before he won by like fourteen points.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
I mean, what the heck was that all about.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
It absolutely destroyed the reputation of the Des Moines Register
and and Seltzer, who had to that point been pretty
respected nationally as a polster. Now again, this isn't a
polster doing this. This is internal polling from the Mike
McDonald campaign. But they show it that it's a thirty
seven to thirty four percent lead in a theoretical head
(01:31):
to head race with a nearly five point margin of error,
so obviously it's in the margin of error. But yeah,
the Stothart campaign replied and say, this is just lies.
We have legitimate polling that shows the disgraced former fire
chief is not necessarily going to even make it through
the primary, let alone the general election. Ugh it is,
(01:55):
Ugh it is, I don't know, it's weird. And there's
statement from Chris Nelson, who's the campaign manager. I'll just
read this and this is KATV has this available for
anybody to watch. This is just lies in distortion tactics
typical for the disgrace former fire chief Mike McDonald he's
using smoke and mirrors to hide the real story, which
is his lackluster fundraising efforts, raising less than eight percent
(02:18):
of mayor Stother's re election funds raised in the last year.
We have legitimate pulling that shows the disgrace former firechief.
That's the second time they said this, Like, what do
the disgrace former fire chief?
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Right?
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Like? I mean like and this again, I'm not a
campaign manager, but would you just be kind of like
hammering that thing home if you want people to believe you,
if you just keep like calling him names, like if
you and me were running for something against each other.
You know what would make me feel like I was
doing a good job and people could relate to me
is if I was propping myself up, not just calling
you this, you know, slob of a man who wears shorts.
Speaker 4 (02:52):
I think I look pretty good today. I'm wearing a
pair of khakis and my favorite dress boots and this
nice brown sweater.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
It's not the point.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
The point was if I just kept making fun of
your outfits, would that really help me in the polls?
And people were be like, yo, yeah, he's kind of gross,
And how's that going to make people think? That I'm
better for the job, Like, why do you keep calling
him a disgraced fire chief?
Speaker 3 (03:13):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Maybe it's like true. And I did forget to put
on deodorant today.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Yeah, that goes a long way to explaining why it
smells in here.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
It doesn't though, I don't smell at all. It's amazing,
he says.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
It best known for costing the taxpayers of Omaha millions
and self serving pension spiking, and McDonald is not necessarily
going to even make it through the primary, let alone
the general election. Push polls are old, dirty campaign tricks
that dishonest candidates use, But Omaha voters are smart and
they won't be fooled. Have we ever come to terms
on how accurate or not accurate? How much people care
(03:45):
about the poll numbers? Because it didn't seem like Iowans
really cared that the Des Moines Register and Seltzer polls
said that all of a sudden Iowa was in play.
Didn't seem like it mattered to them. They still went
out and voted for Donald Trump and Droves made the
poll wrong by like seventeen point right, like how like
like do you think it actually changes people's opinions based
on polls that they see it could, But.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
I think that it could equally. I've never really understood
the perspective of people saying, oh, if a pole says this,
then that's going to change my mind that way. I
think it changes results equally if it does anything.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Well, Donald Trump issuing the the Moine retister for that poll,
for whatever it's worth. But I again, like, I'm I'm
is it designed to molten Like is this like, oh
McDonald has a chance to beat Gene Stothard, maybe we
should go support him more.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
Well, And you know what, though, I'm going to walk
it back, because it's all about context. If you're kind
of if you're the outsider candidate who who it admittedly
has the hill to climb, you're not the incumbent, then
I could see where that would behoove you to have
poles like that because we remember Dan Osburne, right, Yeah,
remember the polls that came out that his campaign would
release showing how close things were.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Yeah, And it was kind of like are those reel?
Is that reel? Is that really happening? It was pretty close.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
At the end of the day, it did get closer,
and in that situation, deb Fisher did not debate him,
and they were using that. You got to keep that
in mind. Like the Poles, I don't know if they
were doing as much lifting as the money that Osbourne
had and spent on television advertising, radio advertising. I mean,
he was really everywhere and there was a lot of
money that allowed him to be that front and center.
(05:15):
I think that had maybe a bigger deal than just
the polls that were showing him, you know, doing better
than people may have expected for a quote independent candidate
end quote.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
I don't know, it's interesting if.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
You got thoughts on this, if you're thinking about this race,
and I know that the street car is kind of
like the thing that people are like pointing to is like,
we don't want to streetcar thing, but we're kind of
we're not past the point of no return necessarily, but
we are. The plans are being made. I've been to
cities with streetcars. I'm not going to go on the
record and say I don't think it's a good idea,
because I think every city I've been in that has
(05:48):
the streetcar, including Tampa where they have a streetcar downtown,
and I was in Barcelona they have a streetcar. People
were using it and property values in and around like
the tracks were a lot higher than you think they
would be. And there are studies that show that property
values for a streetcar like once like you get ten
years into the streetcar being there and people utilizing it,
(06:10):
the property values within like a mile of the streetcar
really go up. So I don't know, like maybe we
need to look at this more than like, hell, yeah,
we're spending money to build this thing now. But I
just feel like there's more to the story here. People
really voting for mayor based on that alone, if you
have some thoughts on at four oh two, five five
eight eleven ten four oh two, five five eight eleven
(06:30):
ten news Radio eleven ten kfab.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
Emery Sunger on news Radio eleven ten kfab.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Numbers that they tabulated show that he's got a small
lead over Gene Stothart right now, and we're still a
couple of months away from this election taking place. But
you know, it's it's interesting, right, we got we got
time to kind of discuss this, But the you know, streetcar,
I was wondering if that was really what the biggest
(07:00):
deal or hubbub is on you know, the mayor oal race.
Is that literally is going to be what people are
making their decisions based on. George is gonna fall on
a four h two, five, five, eight to eleven ten? George,
what are your thoughts on this?
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Oh? This street car thing is an absolute disaster for
the city. Six years ago when this started, it was
priced at one hundred and eighty five million dollars. We're
up to about four hundred and thirty five million dollars
right now. We haven't got anything done. But here's the
crazy part. If they build it somewhere where it could
be used, I wouldn't have as big a problem. But
they're taking it from about forty second Street into downtown
(07:34):
out of the Blackstone District. They think people are going
to drive from West Omaha to the Blackstone District where
there's absolutely no parking. Right now, park the car, get
on it right five miles downtown. Did you fall down
and bump your head and don't know what the heck's
going on? I'm not driving from one hundred and eighty
and Dodged to the Blackstone District. Look for a parking
spot for two hours and maybe find one, and then
(07:56):
get on a stupid thing and ride at five more miles.
I don't know who bought this up, but they're an idiot.
If this one from downtown to a zoo or something
like that with destinations are both ends and parking, I
wouldn't have near the problem. But this is a frigging
mess waiting.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
To have Uh yeah, I respect your your thoughts on this,
Georgia as always, you know, I'm I'm looking here at
the route that that maybe it'll look like, and they're
hoping to have this done in a few years. And
it goes all the way to c cha Hell Center
and ends at forty seconds. So yeah, it doesn't. It
doesn't go like as far west as you probably in
(08:32):
an ideal world would think it would with those stops.
But I guess my I'm as a devil, I wouldn't
be doing my job. I didn't play devil's advocate. Just
a second here. So I go to Creighton basketball games
with some regularity, and there's a bar over there that
that does like, uh like a situation where you can
(08:54):
jump on a school bus and ride to the games.
So I drive from the from my house and I
park in. Like you said, the parking over there is
not great, but I find a spot somewhere nearby that
I can park on the street, walk to this bar,
have maybe a beverage or maybe even some food, and
(09:16):
I top on their bus that takes people to the
Creighton Games down at CHI because of the convenience of
being able to get in and out of there, and I.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
Use it.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
There are dozens of people on that bus with us
that patronize that particular establishment, I think because of that convenience.
And I do think that there are people for any
given reason, if they're going downtown, they want to go
to the Orpem. Parking is not great when you're going
that direction, either if you want to go down and
enjoyce a night down at the Jean Lahee Mall if
(09:46):
they have a big event, or of course CHI, or
if you have something at the Steelhouse. There is a
level of dread that I have, and I'm sure people
share with me, of parking generally in that area. And
if I knew I could just jump on the street
car for you know, a low price, and have the
opportunity to you know, go down there and not have
to worry about parking for this event and getting in
(10:07):
and out via parking, I think I'd be pretty motivated
to do so so that's go ahead.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
I would do brother, But here here's the problem. The
parking at the forty second feet there is none right now,
absolutely none. So if you bring another two three thousand
people in there, there's gonna be no parking. You're going
to be stuck and you're going to waste time. But
here's here's the problem I got with the city. You know,
our Chi Center downtown. When they built that out, they
put a plan out for the voters to vote on.
(10:32):
We voted on what we wanted. Yeah, it had a
ballroom in it, and all of a sudden it's built.
There's no ballroom. Wait a minute. It was in the
bid when you showed it to astics vote on it,
and then you took it out behind our back and said,
well it would it cost thirty more minutes?
Speaker 2 (10:46):
Joe, George, I got to go. I'm run out of time.
But that's a great point. Thanks man. We really appreciate
the time.
There's a race for the mayor of Omaha. Did you
hear this?
Speaker 2 (00:02):
You hear that Gene Stothard is being challenged Mike McDonald,
who we've had on the show in the last couple
of months. He is running and his campaign has released
internal polling to news channel k e TV.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Here in town.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
They reported that today and again, how do you how
do you feel about candidates or campaigns doing their own
internal polling and then running to the running to the
masses to shout from the rooftops at what they have found.
Seems like it could be a conflict of interest. It
just seems like I'm not sure how much we can
trust such things. Well, we talk about not trusting polling
(00:40):
in general, and for good reason. I think it's important
to have polls so we can see how accurate they
are after the race and to see how things are going.
But I still think that, you know, what are we doing.
We're tricking ourselves into thinking that this is some sort
of like oh yeah, this is actually how it's what's happening.
That's not what's happening. That doesn't mean that's what's happening.
(01:00):
That Iowa poll right before the election, remember the Iowa
poll that showed Donald Trump losing to Kamala Harris right
before he won by like fourteen points.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
I mean, what the heck was that all about.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
It absolutely destroyed the reputation of the Des Moines Register
and and Seltzer, who had to that point been pretty
respected nationally as a polster. Now again, this isn't a
polster doing this. This is internal polling from the Mike
McDonald campaign. But they show it that it's a thirty
seven to thirty four percent lead in a theoretical head
(01:31):
to head race with a nearly five point margin of error,
so obviously it's in the margin of error. But yeah,
the Stothart campaign replied and say, this is just lies.
We have legitimate polling that shows the disgraced former fire
chief is not necessarily going to even make it through
the primary, let alone the general election. Ugh it is,
(01:55):
Ugh it is, I don't know, it's weird. And there's
statement from Chris Nelson, who's the campaign manager. I'll just
read this and this is KATV has this available for
anybody to watch. This is just lies in distortion tactics
typical for the disgrace former fire chief Mike McDonald he's
using smoke and mirrors to hide the real story, which
is his lackluster fundraising efforts, raising less than eight percent
(02:18):
of mayor Stother's re election funds raised in the last year.
We have legitimate pulling that shows the disgrace former firechief.
That's the second time they said this, Like, what do
the disgrace former fire chief?
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Right?
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Like? I mean like and this again, I'm not a
campaign manager, but would you just be kind of like
hammering that thing home if you want people to believe you,
if you just keep like calling him names, like if
you and me were running for something against each other.
You know what would make me feel like I was
doing a good job and people could relate to me
is if I was propping myself up, not just calling
you this, you know, slob of a man who wears shorts.
Speaker 4 (02:52):
I think I look pretty good today. I'm wearing a
pair of khakis and my favorite dress boots and this
nice brown sweater.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
It's not the point.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
The point was if I just kept making fun of
your outfits, would that really help me in the polls?
And people were be like, yo, yeah, he's kind of gross,
And how's that going to make people think? That I'm
better for the job, Like, why do you keep calling
him a disgraced fire chief?
Speaker 3 (03:13):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Maybe it's like true. And I did forget to put
on deodorant today.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Yeah, that goes a long way to explaining why it
smells in here.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
It doesn't though, I don't smell at all. It's amazing,
he says.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
It best known for costing the taxpayers of Omaha millions
and self serving pension spiking, and McDonald is not necessarily
going to even make it through the primary, let alone
the general election. Push polls are old, dirty campaign tricks
that dishonest candidates use, But Omaha voters are smart and
they won't be fooled. Have we ever come to terms
on how accurate or not accurate? How much people care
(03:45):
about the poll numbers? Because it didn't seem like Iowans
really cared that the Des Moines Register and Seltzer polls
said that all of a sudden Iowa was in play.
Didn't seem like it mattered to them. They still went
out and voted for Donald Trump and Droves made the
poll wrong by like seventeen point right, like how like
like do you think it actually changes people's opinions based
on polls that they see it could, But.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
I think that it could equally. I've never really understood
the perspective of people saying, oh, if a pole says this,
then that's going to change my mind that way. I
think it changes results equally if it does anything.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Well, Donald Trump issuing the the Moine retister for that poll,
for whatever it's worth. But I again, like, I'm I'm
is it designed to molten Like is this like, oh
McDonald has a chance to beat Gene Stothard, maybe we
should go support him more.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
Well, And you know what, though, I'm going to walk
it back, because it's all about context. If you're kind
of if you're the outsider candidate who who it admittedly
has the hill to climb, you're not the incumbent, then
I could see where that would behoove you to have
poles like that because we remember Dan Osburne, right, Yeah,
remember the polls that came out that his campaign would
release showing how close things were.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Yeah, And it was kind of like are those reel?
Is that reel? Is that really happening? It was pretty close.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
At the end of the day, it did get closer,
and in that situation, deb Fisher did not debate him,
and they were using that. You got to keep that
in mind. Like the Poles, I don't know if they
were doing as much lifting as the money that Osbourne
had and spent on television advertising, radio advertising. I mean,
he was really everywhere and there was a lot of
money that allowed him to be that front and center.
(05:15):
I think that had maybe a bigger deal than just
the polls that were showing him, you know, doing better
than people may have expected for a quote independent candidate
end quote.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
I don't know, it's interesting if.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
You got thoughts on this, if you're thinking about this race,
and I know that the street car is kind of
like the thing that people are like pointing to is like,
we don't want to streetcar thing, but we're kind of
we're not past the point of no return necessarily, but
we are. The plans are being made. I've been to
cities with streetcars. I'm not going to go on the
record and say I don't think it's a good idea,
because I think every city I've been in that has
(05:48):
the streetcar, including Tampa where they have a streetcar downtown,
and I was in Barcelona they have a streetcar. People
were using it and property values in and around like
the tracks were a lot higher than you think they
would be. And there are studies that show that property
values for a streetcar like once like you get ten
years into the streetcar being there and people utilizing it,
(06:10):
the property values within like a mile of the streetcar
really go up. So I don't know, like maybe we
need to look at this more than like, hell, yeah,
we're spending money to build this thing now. But I
just feel like there's more to the story here. People
really voting for mayor based on that alone, if you
have some thoughts on at four oh two, five five
eight eleven ten four oh two, five five eight eleven
(06:30):
ten news Radio eleven ten kfab.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
Emery Sunger on news Radio eleven ten kfab.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Numbers that they tabulated show that he's got a small
lead over Gene Stothart right now, and we're still a
couple of months away from this election taking place. But
you know, it's it's interesting, right, we got we got
time to kind of discuss this, But the you know, streetcar,
I was wondering if that was really what the biggest
(07:00):
deal or hubbub is on you know, the mayor oal race.
Is that literally is going to be what people are
making their decisions based on. George is gonna fall on
a four h two, five, five, eight to eleven ten? George,
what are your thoughts on this?
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Oh? This street car thing is an absolute disaster for
the city. Six years ago when this started, it was
priced at one hundred and eighty five million dollars. We're
up to about four hundred and thirty five million dollars
right now. We haven't got anything done. But here's the
crazy part. If they build it somewhere where it could
be used, I wouldn't have as big a problem. But
they're taking it from about forty second Street into downtown
(07:34):
out of the Blackstone District. They think people are going
to drive from West Omaha to the Blackstone District where
there's absolutely no parking. Right now, park the car, get
on it right five miles downtown. Did you fall down
and bump your head and don't know what the heck's
going on? I'm not driving from one hundred and eighty
and Dodged to the Blackstone District. Look for a parking
spot for two hours and maybe find one, and then
(07:56):
get on a stupid thing and ride at five more miles.
I don't know who bought this up, but they're an idiot.
If this one from downtown to a zoo or something
like that with destinations are both ends and parking, I
wouldn't have near the problem. But this is a frigging
mess waiting.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
To have Uh yeah, I respect your your thoughts on this,
Georgia as always, you know, I'm I'm looking here at
the route that that maybe it'll look like, and they're
hoping to have this done in a few years. And
it goes all the way to c cha Hell Center
and ends at forty seconds. So yeah, it doesn't. It
doesn't go like as far west as you probably in
(08:32):
an ideal world would think it would with those stops.
But I guess my I'm as a devil, I wouldn't
be doing my job. I didn't play devil's advocate. Just
a second here. So I go to Creighton basketball games
with some regularity, and there's a bar over there that
that does like, uh like a situation where you can
(08:54):
jump on a school bus and ride to the games.
So I drive from the from my house and I
park in. Like you said, the parking over there is
not great, but I find a spot somewhere nearby that
I can park on the street, walk to this bar,
have maybe a beverage or maybe even some food, and
(09:16):
I top on their bus that takes people to the
Creighton Games down at CHI because of the convenience of
being able to get in and out of there, and I.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
Use it.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
There are dozens of people on that bus with us
that patronize that particular establishment, I think because of that convenience.
And I do think that there are people for any
given reason, if they're going downtown, they want to go
to the Orpem. Parking is not great when you're going
that direction, either if you want to go down and
enjoyce a night down at the Jean Lahee Mall if
(09:46):
they have a big event, or of course CHI, or
if you have something at the Steelhouse. There is a
level of dread that I have, and I'm sure people
share with me, of parking generally in that area. And
if I knew I could just jump on the street
car for you know, a low price, and have the
opportunity to you know, go down there and not have
to worry about parking for this event and getting in
(10:07):
and out via parking, I think I'd be pretty motivated
to do so so that's go ahead.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
I would do brother, But here here's the problem. The
parking at the forty second feet there is none right now,
absolutely none. So if you bring another two three thousand
people in there, there's gonna be no parking. You're going
to be stuck and you're going to waste time. But
here's here's the problem I got with the city. You know,
our Chi Center downtown. When they built that out, they
put a plan out for the voters to vote on.
(10:32):
We voted on what we wanted. Yeah, it had a
ballroom in it, and all of a sudden it's built.
There's no ballroom. Wait a minute. It was in the
bid when you showed it to astics vote on it,
and then you took it out behind our back and said,
well it would it cost thirty more minutes?
Speaker 2 (10:46):
Joe, George, I got to go. I'm run out of time.
But that's a great point. Thanks man. We really appreciate
the time.
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