Amid accusations from the national Democratic Party that former Congressman Ed Case released dishonest poll results, Merriman River Group is standing by its work for the U.S. Senate candidate.  

The poll showed Case far surpassing U.S. Senate opponent and Congresswoman Mazie Hirono. Case’s showing was so good that Matthew Fitch, Merriman River Group’s executive director said he advised the former congressman to keep the results to himself.

“He is using his positive results as a campaign weapon,” Fitch said in a phone interview with DC808 on Tuesday afternoon. “That’s his right. I actually advised him not to release the results because they are so good, why do you want to change the dynamic of the race? But he did. Apparently it rattled some people. As of now, those are the numbers. What he announced was correct.” 

Hirono pollster Pete Brodnitz argued that the poll had questionable methodology, a claim that Fitch rebuts. 

“We think our methodology is good for a couple of reasons,” Fitch said. “One, we’ve put a lot effort into correctly identifying voters. I know it’s a year out, but people either vote or they don’t. It’s a habit. That’s something we put a lot of stock in.” 

Brodnitz also told DC808 that Merriman River Group’s decision to do an automated poll — rather than having a human ask the questions — makes its results less reliable. Again, Fitch disagreed. 

“A lot of voters are actually more comfortable pressing buttons than telling another person,” Fitch said. “It also allows you to cast a much wider net in a much shorter period of time… Of course it’s a year out from the primary and longer than that for the general. The only thing that would surprise me would be if nothing changed.”

Finally, Brodnitz said that Merriman River Group’s poll suggests that more than 80 percent of general-election voters also take part in primary elections, a figure he says is exaggerated. Fitch called this a “fair point,” but said those who were polled self-reported their voting participation, and that a more accurate figure would not have significantly changed the poll’s results.

“In reality, more like 60 percent of general election voters are also primary voters,” Fitch said. “We noticed that, too. It’s not that we’re inflating anything. It’s just that people tend to exaggerate their likelihood of voting.”

Full disclosure: Merriman River Group has conducted political polls for Civil Beat in the past.