Poll: Sen. Mitch McConnell ahead by 4 points in Kentucky

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) is maintaining his narrow lead over Democratic nominee Alison Lundergan Grimes in the Kentucky Senate race, according to the latest Bluegrass Poll from the Louisville Courier-Journal and other Kentucky media outlets.

The poll, conducted by SurveyUSA, shows McConnell with 46 percent, against Lundergan Grimes with 42 percent, plus 5 percent for Libertarian nominee David Patterson. The survey was conducted from Aug. 25 to Aug. 27, and has a plus or minus 3.9 percent margin of error. In the previous Bluegrass Poll from July, McConnell led with 47 percent to 45 percent.

McConnell's own favorability rating is quite low with Kentucky voters, at only 36 percent favorable compared to 46 percent unfavorable. Lundergan Grimes' rating is much closer at 38 percent favorable, to 37 percent unfavorable.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

However, the figure that may be helping McConnell the most is President Obama's rating in this Republican-leaning state: Obama is at only 29 percent, against 57 percent unfavorable.

In addition, respondents were asked about one of the biggest issues that McConnell has been using back home: "Control of the U.S. Senate will be determined in the November election. Which party would do a better job if it was in control of the Senate? Republicans or Democrats?" The answer: Republicans 47 percent, Democrats 43 percent — closely tracking with McConnell's own lead of four points.