Poll: Sen. Kay Hagan holds modest leads over potential opponents

Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) holds modest leads over a number of potential 2014 opponents, according to a new poll from Democratic firm Public Policy Polling.

Hagan's leads over a range of Republicans stretch from 6 to 10 percentage points, and she doesn't crack 50 percent against any of them, a sign she's vulnerable if the right candidate runs. But at this point the only candidate who has shown strong interest in the race, North Carolina House Speaker Thom Tillis (R), trails her by the widest margin at 47 to 37 percent.

The first-term senator's approval ratings are fairly middling, with 34 percent approving and 36 percent disapproving.

"Kay Hagan appears somewhat vulnerable in 2014, but the big question for Republicans is whether or not they can find a strong statewide candidate to challenge the Democratic incumbent," said PPP President Dean Debnam in the poll's release.

Hagan pulls between 45 and 47 percent of the vote against seven GOP candidates. Her strongest opponents at this point appear to be Reps. Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.) and Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), both of whom trail by six points. But neither has expressed interest in the race at this point.

The automated poll of 608 North Carolina voters was conducted from Jan. 10-13, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.0 percentage points.

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