Farriss unlikely journey from scholar to subject of political polling began with a PPP poll of Iowa voters, in April, that included Michigan Governor Rick Snyder. Paul Egan, a reporter for the Detroit Free Press, called up PPP director Tom Jensen to make sense of the results. Snyder, Jensen told him, was effectively unknown. If I had polled you for favorability with Iowa Republicans, you would come out with the same number he did, Jensen said.
He put that proposition to the test in PPPs next poll, of Arizona Republicans. It turned out that Jensen had been mistaken. Snyder was viewed favorably by 5 percent of respondents; Egan, the reporter, actually outpolled him with 6 percent support.
Farris, who teaches an upper-level class on polling, was puzzled by the inclusion of an unfamiliar name. PPP explained its logic. Well, next time throw my name in the poll as someone with no national profile, she tweeted to PPP. It'll amuse my Survey Research students. And then, on Thursday, she spotted reporters trying to figure out why a quarter of Republican voters had opinions about Emily Farris, when theyd never heard of her.
