West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin has been in overdrive in recent days to distance himself from President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats, and now he’s edged back into a three-point advantage over Republican John Raese in the U.S. Senate race in the Wild and Wonderful State, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports poll.
An Oct. 26 telephone survey of likely voters finds Manchin with 49 percent support to Raese’s 46 percent. Two percent like another candidate in the race, while four percent remain undecided. The poll’s margin of error is four percent.
This is the first time Manchin’s had any edge in the polling since mid-September, and the race now moves from leans Republican to a tossup in the Rasmussen rankings.
A week ago, Raese held a lead over the highly popular governor, who surprisingly found himself on the defensive in a state where the president and his policies are highly unpopular. The race remains one of the closest in the country with both national parties pouring heavy advertising dollars into the state.
Raese leads among voters who say they strongly disapprove of Obama’s performance while Manchin is the overwhelming choice for those with a positive opinion of the president. Among those who “somewhat disapprove” of Obama’s performance, Manchin has a 2-to-1 advantage.
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