Story Published:
Mar 26, 2009 at 9:23 PM CST
Story Updated:
Mar 26, 2009 at 9:23 PM CST
SPRINGFIELD -- A new U.S. Senate poll shows Democrat Robin Carnahan leading both of her potential Republican opponents in the 2010 contest, but the numbers also point to some political vulnerabilities of Congressman Roy Blunt.
The poll, taken by Republican pollster
Wilson Research Strategies and released to
The Notebook Thursday, shows probable Democratic nominee Carnahan leading Blunt 47% to 44%. It shows Carnahan leading former State Treasurer Sarah Steelman by a larger margin, 47% to 39%.
The poll, taken between March 7-9, surveyed 600 likely voters in Missouri. It has a margin of error of 4 percent.
The numbers also reveal that although Blunt is much more well-known than Steelman, he carries higher negatives among independents and Democrats. Pollster Chris Wilson said the results highlight Blunt's inherent weakness as a candidate.
"My conclusion is that he starts out with serious issues that are difficult to overcome in the general election, if not the primary," said Wilson in an interview.
On the other hand, the data also reveals that Blunt is stronger within his own party, and that Steelman plays better with "soft Democrats," a potential liability in a GOP primary.
Wilson said the poll was taken as a feasibility study for a potential Steelman U.S. Senate candidacy. But Steelman did not pay for the poll. Wilson said because of his company's confidentiality clause, he could only say that a third party unaffiliated with Steelman paid for the data.
For more on the internal numbers of the poll, hit up the KY3 Political Notebook.
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