Rep. John Culberson (R) led wind energy executive Michael Skelly (D) by 7 points, according to a Sept. 7-9 poll conducted for the Democrat’s campaign.

Skelly, who is hoping to upend Culberson in the solidly Republican, suburban Houston 7th district, trailed the incumbent Congressman, 44 percent to 37 percent, with 13 percent undecided and 6 percent showing a preference for a third-party candidate.

“These findings indicate that Culberson is extremely vulnerable as he falls well below majority support as voters are looking for change,” Democratic pollsters Ben Tulchin and Julie Lein wrote in the polling memo.

The poll of 500 likely voters, conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, had a 4.4-point error margin.

The National Republican Congressional Committee dismissed the poll, contending that 7th district voters would reject Skelly when they learned more about who he is.

“When thousands of Texans were preparing for the most destructive natural disaster to hit the Houston area since 1961, Michael Skelly was polling voters and thinking about politics,” NRCC spokesman Ken Spain said. “If that wasn’t enough, he had the audacity to release the poll on Sept.11. Michael Skelly doesn’t deserve a response.”

Skelly, who is personally wealthy, had raised more money than Culberson at the end of the second quarter, while vowing to spend a considerable amount of his personal fortune on the race.