Nevada Poll: Sen. Heller Trails Primary Challenger by 6 Points

Nevada Sen. Dean Heller trails his Republican primary challenger by 6 points, according to the latest JMC Analytics poll.

Heller, considered one of the most vulnerable Republican senators in next year's midterms, trails challenger Danny Tarkanian 44 percent to 38 percent, according to the survey.

Heller trailed Tarkanian by 8 points in the August survey, JMC reports.

Nearly one in five Republican voters surveyed (17 percent) are undecided, according to JMC.

Other results from the poll, according to JMC:

• 51 percent say they have a favorable opinion of Heller.
• 59 percent say they have a favorable opinion of Tarkanian.
• 56 percent of Hispanics surveyed support Tarkanian.
• 45 percent of women support Tarkanian.
• 62 percent of ages 18-35 support Tarkanian.

"Sen. Heller's problems are two-fold: Tarkanian has higher approval ratings, and President Trump's approval among Republicans is very high and by a similar margin, respondents are more likely to support a candidate who actively supported the President's agenda," JMC wrote in its analysis.

"In summary, Sen. Heller faces a substantial primary challenge from Danny Tarkanian in a race that ultimately could determine partisan control of the U.S. Senate."

It was a bumpy summer for Heller, who found himself on the bad side of President Donald Trump and in a no-win situation over the numerous Obamacare repeal bills.

While Heller is getting support from Sen. Mitch McConnell and his leadership fund PAC, Tarkanian is one of the Steve Bannon-backed candidates in his effort to rid the Senate of lawmakers who aren't exclusively pushing the president's agenda.

The survey, conducted Oct. 24 to 26, has a margin of error of 4.4 percent with a 95 percent confidence interval.

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