Specter beating Sestak by 13 in new poll

Bad news for Rep. Joe Sestak's (Pa.) campaign to quash Sen. Arlen Specter's (Pa.) re-election bid: The five-term incumbent is besting his opponent in the party's 2010 primary by about 13 points.

Rasmussen's latest poll, released Wednesday, pegs Specter's lead at 48 percent, compared to Sestak's 35 percent. About 14 percent of surveyed Democrats instead said they have yet to decide who to support.

Nevertheless, Wednesday's numbers mark a staggering drop in support for Sestak from just two months ago, when Rasmussen noted he was polling within four points of Specter. Many of those voters seemed to have flocked to the undecided or other columns, not necessarilly to Specter, further solidifying this race is a bit of a toss up.

Still, there are a number of interpretations of these results. Some will argue Specter has markedly improved his standing among the state's liberal voters, in part because he has slowly shifted to the left since changing parties earlier this year.

Others will find fault with Sestak's campaign, pointing out his first endorsement by a member of Congress on Monday -- Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) -- did not carry with it an in kind boost in public support.

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