Missouri Senate race already close

Former House Republican Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) is in a dead heat with his Democratic opponent, Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, in the contest for Missouri's open Senate seat, a new poll finds.

As Rasmussen points out, the race to fill retiring Sen. Kit Bond's (R-Mo.) seat is already, unusually close. Both Blunt and Carnahan both nabbed 46 percent of voters in Rasmussen's latest measure, released on Wednesday. About 5 percent of surveyed voters indicated they were still undecided, and roughly 2 percent said they would prefer some other candidate.

Blunt polls better with male voters, leading Carnahan by 17 points -- but Carnahan polls better with female voters, a demographic she leads by a sizable 13 points. Both candidates have favorability scores that top the 50 percent mark, and they are almost equally popular among their respective party's bases, the poll also found.

But Rasmussen's findings perhaps mean Blunt is slowly gaining an early edge. In previous polls, one of which was conducted by Republican strategists, Blunt trailed Carnahan, albeit only by single digits. Wednesday's numbers, however, show the Missouri Republican is now tied with Carnahan in the race for the state's open Senate seat.