Poll: Both Dems Trail GOP In Arkansas, Though Lincoln's Gaining Ground

Arkansas Lt. Gov. Bill Halter (D) may be giving Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D) headaches now that he's officially a candidate for Senate, but a new poll shows that so far, Republicans needn't be any more worried about Halter than they are about Lincoln.

In the first public polling since Halter officially announced his candidacy yesterday, a Rasmussen survey of 500 likely voters in the state shows both Halter and Lincoln trailing the entire Republican field.

But the poll also shows Lincoln is on an upswing, gaining ground against GOP candidates in the past month. Halter, making his first appearance as candidate in general election polling, holds his own but trails the GOP front runner by a significant margin.

The biggest threat for Republicans remains Rep. John Boozman (R), considered the frontrunner in a crowded field of GOP contenders. He leads Lincoln by a margin of 48-39 in the new poll. But that shows considerable forward momentum for Lincoln -- in the last Rasmussen poll, taken on Feb. 1, Boozman led 54-35.

Halter, on the other hand, is well back of Boozman. The Republican leads Halter in the new poll 52-33.

It's the same story for the other GOP candidates in the race. Lincoln has closed to within single-digits or better of the main GOP candidates in the new poll, a dramatic shift forward for her over the Feburary poll. By comparison, Halter's position is mixed. Though he's behind Boozman by a greater margin than Lincoln is, Halter holds his own with the other contenders in the race, matching Lincoln's performance against them.