Eye on the Senate: Some Breathing Room for Dole
Here’s our latest addition to our round-up of Senate races:
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**North Carolina:** Sen. Elizabeth Dole is leading Democratic challenger Kay Hagan 47 percent to 39 percent with 14 percent undecided, in a Public Policy Polling survey conducted May 28-29. the margin of error is 4.2 percent. That represents some more breathing room for Dole who had a 5 point lead in a May 8-9 survey by PPP. Both candidates run evenly among women but Dole has a 15 point advantage among men. Dole also has significantly more commitment from fellow Republicans. Eight-five percent of them back her, while only 61 percent commit to Hagan with 17 percent undecided. A Rasmussen Reports poll conducted May 8 showed Hagan ahead of Dole, although by a statistically insignificant 48 percent to 47 percent. A month earlier, Dole had a 13 point lead in this poll. Hagan scored a runaway victory in the state’s May 6 primary for the right to challenge Dole, and PPP says the visibility she built up during that campaign may have helped. Now it remains to be seen if she can keep momentum and raise the $10 million she says she needs to compete with Dole. As of now, CQ Politics rates the race as “Republican favored.”