Lee touts polling that show him leading in the race for Sheriff
Results of a poll released Tuesday by a market research company based in Washington, D.C. are being received favorably by Michael Lee and his supporters in his campaign for DeSoto County Sheriff.
The poll was done by Cygnal, a researcher that serves GOP campaigns, committees, caucuses and center-right public affairs issue efforts do polling, analytics and targeting.
Lee, a current DeSoto County Supervisor, is running against retired Mississippi Highway Patrol Lt. Col. Thomas Tuggle II, who was Director of the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers’ Training Academy before his retirement.
Both are Republicans running in the August primary for the party’s nod in the November general election. Because there is no Democratic challenger, the primary winner will gain election as the next head of county law enforcement.
The poll results from Cygnal were provided by the Lee campaign and shows him leading Tuggle by 16 percentage points in the race for sheriff, 31 percent to 15 percent. That is an increase from an 11 percent lead shown in a previous Cygnal poll for the campaign done in July with Lee favored by 24 percent to Tuggle’s 13 percent.
“Our momentum continues to grow, and these high numbers show that residents trust our leadership as supervisor,” Lee said about the results. “It’s great news for those who want to keep DeSoto County safe and stop Memphis crime.”
Cygnal said the figures come from DeSoto County Republican primary voters.
The current supervisor attracts a strong base of voters who are older than age 55, where Lee leads by 18 percent, according to the results.
The number of undecided voters remains high, but fewer from July’s polling. Fifty-three percent are now undecided, compared to July, when the percentage was 63 percent.
Cygnal said the survey of 301 likely Republican voters was done between Feb. 9-10 and has a plus/minus 5.49 percent margin of error.
We contacted Tuggle for his response, which he has provided.
“I’ve been meeting with folks from all over DeSoto County to let them know my top priority is fighting violent crime,” Tuggle said. “They’re telling me they want a Sheriff with experience to keep DeSoto County safe. I believe my experience as a Marine combat veteran, President of my class at the FBI National Academy, Executive Officer of the Department of Safety under Gov. Barbour, and my service as Director of the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers’ Training Academy is what DeSoto County voters are looking for in their next Sheriff.
“My team is frugal and has a solid plan for victory. I feel the momentum, and I’m optimistic we will be in first place in the ‘poll’ that matters on Aug. 8.”
