Poll: Kaine, Allen remain deadlocked in Va. Senate race

The pivotal U.S. Senate race in Virginia remains a dead heat, with former Govs. Tim Kaine (D) and George Allen (R) separated by a mere point in the polls five months before Election Day.

Kaine is clinging to a 44-43 percent lead, according to a survey released Wednesday by Quinnipiac University, foreshadowing what is certain to be one of the hardest-fought campaigns this November.

Kaine's minor lead is the result of shifting demographics in Virginia, where increases in the Hispanic population and booming growth in the Northern Virginia suburbs have given Democrats a stronger foothold in the state. Both candidates pull 85 percent of voters in their own party, but Allen leads among independents 43-37 percent, betraying the registration advantage Democrats now hold.

"The Senate race looks like it will go down to the wire on Election Day," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, in a statement. "With 10 percent of voters undecided, each man has the opportunity to win the seat."

Still, neither candidate has ever broken beyond the margin of error since the polling firm began surveying the state, further emphasizing the even split between the two heavyweights.

That could mean that presidential efforts in the state — already expected to be intense, with 13 electoral votes squarely up for grabs and Mitt Romney's campaign acknowledging that any path to the Oval Office will likely lead through Virginia — carry even more significance.

"The Senate race is so close that whatever small margin of victory occurs could well be based on whether President Barack Obama or Gov. Mitt Romney has coattails," said Brown.

Allen might also have to grapple with slipping popularity for incumbent Gov. Bob McDonnell, whose job approval rating slipped to match his all-time low in the survey. Still, McDonnell remains quite popular in the state, with more than half of Virginians approving of the job he's doing as governor.

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