By Jonathan Kaplan A prominent Republican polling firm has irked Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), the House’s top GOP election strategist, by conducting a poll to persuade a Republican lawmaker to oppose a Democratic measure that would make it easier for labor unions to organize. Public Opinion Strategies (POS), the polling firm, conducted the survey for an anonymous Republican donor in the district of Rep. Steven LaTourette (R-Ohio) to show the congressman that the so-called “Card Check” bill is unpopular with GOP voters. LaTourette and 12 other GOP members from the Northeast and upper Midwest, as well as Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), voted for the bill. The House passed the Employee Free Choice Act on March 1 by a vote of 241 to 185. Cole heads the National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC), which happens to be a client of POS. He and LaTourette were upset that POS would conduct a poll that could create the perception that it is undermining a popular GOP incumbent. In addition to questions about the “Card Check” bill, the poll also included data about LaTourette’s favorable and unfavorable ratings. LaTourette remains popular in the district, according to a GOP source who saw the poll. Read more... Posted at 3/13/2007 12:15:00 PM