Thursday, June 24, 2010
Sharron Angle’s modest bounce after her Republican Primary win appears to be over, but she still holds a slight lead over Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in Nevada’s U.S. Senate race.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in Nevada shows Angle earning 48% support, while Reid, the state’s longtime Democratic senator, picks up 41% of the vote. Eight percent (8%) like some other candidate in the race, while just two percent (2%) are undecided.
Two weeks ago, coming off her primary victory, Angle posted a 50% to 39% lead over Reid, who many consider one of the most vulnerable congressional incumbents in the country.
This returns the contest to where it’s been in surveys for months where Angle, a Christian conservative, ran weakest of the three Republicans seeking their party’s Senate nomination in match-ups with Reid.
Prior to the findings two weeks ago, Angle’s support in surveys stretching back to December has ranged from 44% to 48%, while Reid has earned 38% to 43% of the vote. In April, Angle held a 48% to 40% lead over the Democrat.
Reid‘s campaign and national Democrats are already pounding away at Angle’s views as unacceptable to the state. But at this early stage, the race continues to be about Reid, who earned 61% of the vote when he was reelected in 2004 but whose support in this election cycle against any Republican candidate has never risen above the low 40s. Any incumbent at this point in a campaign who is earning less than 50% support is considered vulnerable.
Reid’s numbers fell even lower after he helped engineer passage of the national health care bill in March. Fifty-three percent (53%) of Nevada voters favor repeal of that bill, while 42% oppose repeal. This includes 45% who Strongly Favor repeal and 33% who are Strongly Opposed. These findings are comparable to voter sentiments nationally.
Eighty-three percent (83%) of those who Strongly Favor repeal support Angle. Reid draws 81% support from the smaller group that Strongly Opposes repeal.