Rand Paul has a double-digit lead in the Kentucky Senate race, according to a new poll from Rasmussen out today. The poll of likely voters shows Paul, the Republican nominee, leading Democratic nominee Jack Conway by a margin of 49-38.
Rasmussen’s last poll in Kentucky, conducted Sept. 7, showed Paul with a larger 15-point lead. That poll showed Paul ahead 54-39. The dip in support for Paul matches that seen in all other polling of the race lately, which has shown Conway gaining ground. The poll shows that Paul’s self-professed tea party candidacy may be causing some problems for the Republican, despite the large lead.
“Paul has the backing of 88% of Tea Party members and 29% of non-members,” the pollster reports. “Fifty-eight percent of those who say they are not part of the movement support Conway.”
The TPM Poll Average shows Paul ahead 47.4-41.9
Trendlines show Conway gaining ground as well:
Evan McMorris-Santoro
Evan McMorris-Santoro has covered politics for TPM since 2009. Before that, he was a reporter at National Journal’s Hotline covering election 2008. He started his career covering local politics at newspapers in TN and his native NC.
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