Few chinks in Boren's armor

Many Blue Dogs are in trouble, but Rep. Dan Boren (D-Okla.) doesn't appear to be one of them.

Despite representing a district where President Obama has a 27 percent approval rating, Boren has a 51 percent approval rating, with just 33 percent of voters disapproving, according to a new Public Policy Polling (D) survey.

He also leads every Republican he is facing by at least 16 points. With no top candidates having signed up to face him, Boren is a strong bet for reelection. He is under 50 percent -- which is generally not a good sign for an incumbent -- but voters aren't picking Republicans on party affiliation alone, as none of them breaks 30 percent in the poll.

Without a well-funded candidate to run against Boren, it's hard to see him not adding a few points and cracking 50 percent.

We keep seeing this over and over again: when Democrats vote the right way, they tend to be OK. Reps. Bobby Bright (D-Ala.) and Larry Kissell (D-N.C.) have been shown to be reasonably strong in early polling, and it shouldn't surprise that a popular true Blue Dog like Boren is holding it down in a tough district.