|
McConnell appears likely to dodge bullet |
|
By Manu Raju
|
|
Posted: 11/03/08 07:21 PM [ET] |
|
A series of recent polls has shown Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who hails from deep-red Kentucky, maintaining a narrow lead in his hotly contested reelection race.
Despite being one of the Democrats’ biggest targets this year, McConnell is holding an eight-point advantage over Democratic businessman Bruce Lunsford, according to a Survey USA poll released Sunday. Just 3 percent of the 616 likely voters were undecided in the poll.
Senior GOP aides expressed relief at the findings, since a SurveyUSA poll conducted between Oct. 18-20 found the race at a dead heat.
But Lunsford’s campaign dismissed the poll’s findings, arguing that the sample did not accurately reflect party registration. If it did, the Democrat’s campaign said, Lunsford would be leading McConnell by 0.5 percent.
If McConnell loses, it would be “catastrophic,” said one GOP Senate aide, and it would also shake up the Senate Republican Conference profoundly. His loss also would help Democrats win 60 seats, which would hamstring the GOP’s ability to filibuster legislation.
|
